Breakdown of Esta camisa de seda es impecable.
ser
to be
de
from / of
la camisa
the shirt
esta
this (feminine)
impecable
impeccable / flawless
la seda
the silk
Questions & Answers about Esta camisa de seda es impecable.
How would I change this sentence into an exclamation like 'What an impeccable silk shirt!' using the grammar from this lesson?
Why does the sentence use 'es' instead of 'está' for 'impecable'? Doesn't being impeccable imply a temporary state of cleanliness?
You can actually use either, but they mean slightly different things. Using es (from the verb ser) describes an inherent characteristic of the shirt: it is a flawless, perfectly designed, or high-quality item. If you used está (from estar), it would mean the shirt is currently in a spotless condition right now, perhaps freshly washed and ironed.
Why is it 'camisa de seda' instead of using a specific adjective for 'silk'?
In Spanish, materials are almost always expressed using de (of) plus the noun for the material. So instead of looking for a 'silken' adjective, you literally say a 'shirt of silk' (camisa de seda). This works for other materials too, like zapatos de cuero (leather shoes) or anillo de oro (gold ring).
I sometimes get confused between 'esta', 'está', and 'ésta'. Why is it 'Esta' here without an accent mark?
Esta without an accent is a demonstrative adjective meaning 'this,' and it is used right before a noun (like Esta camisa). Está with an accent on the 'a' is the verb meaning 'is' (from estar). As a bonus tip: older texts used to put an accent on the pronoun ésta (meaning 'this one'), but modern Spanish spelling rules say you don't need the accent there anymore.
Learn Esta camisa de seda es impecable and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free