Breakdown of Es decir, el minimalismo es eliminar todo lo que no necesitamos.
ser
to be
no
no, not
necesitar
to need
que
that / than
Questions & Answers about Es decir, el minimalismo es eliminar todo lo que no necesitamos.
Why do we use the indicative necesitamos instead of the subjunctive here?
The phrase todo lo que (everything that) takes the indicative when referring to known, established facts, and the subjunctive when referring to hypothetical or unknown things. Here, the speaker is stating a concrete definition about things we actively do not need. If the sentence meant everything that we might not need (an unknown or hypothetical set of things), it would use the subjunctive necesitemos.
Why does the Spanish sentence use the infinitive eliminar when the English translation says eliminating?
In English, we often use words ending in -ing as nouns (like swimming is fun or minimalism is eliminating). In Spanish, the infinitive form (eliminar) is always used when a verb acts as a noun. If you used the gerund eliminando, it would sound like an action happening right now (as in he is eliminating), rather than a general definition.
How does the phrase Es decir work in this sentence?
Literally meaning it is to say, es decir is a very common set phrase that translates to that is or in other words. You use it just like in English, right at the start of a clause to clarify or expand on something you just mentioned.
Why is there an el before minimalismo if it just says minimalism in English?
When an abstract concept or general category (like minimalism, love, or science) is the subject of a sentence in Spanish, it requires a definite article (el, la, los, or las). English drops the article in these cases, but Spanish requires it.