Breakdown of Ella había elevado la silla, de manera que puede trabajar con la espalda recta.
de
from / of
ella
she
la silla
the chair
trabajar
to work
con
with
poder
to be able to / can
que
that / than
la espalda
the back
haber
(auxiliary) have
la manera
the way / the manner
elevar
to raise (lift, elevate)
recto
straight (not curved)
Questions & Answers about Ella había elevado la silla, de manera que puede trabajar con la espalda recta.
Why is puede in the indicative here instead of the subjunctive?
The connector de manera que takes the indicative when it describes a known result or a consequence that is actually happening. By using puede (indicative), the speaker is stating a fact: she raised the chair, and as a real result of that, she can now work with a straight back. If we wanted to focus on her hypothetical goal or intention ("in order that she might be able to work"), we would use the subjunctive pueda.
Why do we have the past perfect (había elevado) mixed with the present tense (puede)?
This combination perfectly describes a past cause and a present effect. The action of raising the chair happened in the past (había elevado means she had already raised it), and the result of that past action is a fact that is true right now in the present: she is currently able to work (puede trabajar) comfortably.
Why does the sentence use la espalda instead of su espalda for "a straight back"?
In Spanish, when talking about body parts, you almost always use the definite article (el, la, los, las) instead of a possessive pronoun like su (her). Because it is obvious from the context that it is her own back, Spanish prefers la espalda.
Why is recta placed after espalda?
In Spanish, adjectives that describe a physical trait or distinguish an object, like recta (straight), go after the noun they modify. So, "a straight back" translates literally to "the back straight" (la espalda recta).
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