Breakdown of Ese chico es maleducado porque susurra y usa el celular en el cine.
ser
to be
y
and
en
in / on / at
usar
to use / to wear
el cine
cinema
ese
that (masculine)
el chico
the boy (older / teenager)
porque
because
susurrar
to whisper
el celular
the cell phone
maleducado
rude
Questions & Answers about Ese chico es maleducado porque susurra y usa el celular en el cine.
Why do we use es instead of está for maleducado if he is just being rude at the cinema right now?
In Spanish, maleducado (ill-mannered) is viewed as a defining characteristic of a person's upbringing, which is why it uses ser (es maleducado). If you wanted to emphasize that he is just acting out of character in the moment, you would typically say he is behaving badly (se está portando mal) or use the continuous form (está siendo maleducado).
This lesson is about using dejar de to mean stopping an action. How could I change this sentence to say "he doesn't stop whispering"?
You would use the conjugated form of dejar + de + the infinitive of the verb. Instead of susurra (he whispers), you would say no deja de susurrar (he doesn't stop whispering).
Is it also correct to say usa su celular instead of usa el celular?
Yes, both are perfectly correct! However, Spanish uses definite articles (like el or la) instead of possessive adjectives (like su) much more often than English does. When the context makes it obvious whose item is being used, el celular sounds very natural.
Maleducado looks like "badly educated". Does it refer to his schooling?
Not usually. This is a common "false friend." In Spanish, educación heavily implies upbringing, manners, and politeness, rather than just academic schooling. Therefore, a maleducado is someone who is rude or ill-mannered, regardless of their grades in school!
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