Breakdown of Es obvio que este diario le pertenece a la abuela.
ser
to be
la abuela
the grandmother
que
that / than
le
to him / to her / to you (formal)
este
this
el diario
the diary
obvio
obvious
pertenecer a
to belong to
Questions & Answers about Es obvio que este diario le pertenece a la abuela.
Why do we use the preposition a after pertenece?
The verb pertenecer (to belong) specifically requires the preposition a to show who something belongs to. This is a governed preposition, which means the verb and the preposition are a packaged deal. Whenever you talk about an item belonging to someone, you will use the formula pertenecer a alguien.
Why is the pronoun le in the sentence if we already say a la abuela?
In Spanish, when you have an indirect object like a la abuela (to the grandmother), you generally must include the matching indirect object pronoun le. It might feel repetitive to an English speaker, but this redundant pronoun is a standard and necessary grammar rule in Spanish.
Es obvio que sounds like a phrase that might trigger the subjunctive. Why is pertenece in the normal present indicative tense?
While many impersonal expressions like es bueno que or es importante que trigger the subjunctive, phrases that declare a certainty, truth, or an established fact trigger the indicative. Because es obvio que (it is obvious that) states a clear fact rather than a doubt or emotion, we use the indicative pertenece. If it were negative (no es obvio que), it would introduce doubt and trigger the subjunctive.
Why is it este diario instead of esto diario?
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