Learn Spanish (Latin America): Toda la ropa es formal, menos esa camisa. - All the clothes are formal, except that shirt.

Toda la ropa es formal, menos esa camisa.

All the clothes are formal, except that shirt.

Breakdown of Toda la ropa es formal, menos esa camisa.

Questions & Answers about Toda la ropa es formal, menos esa camisa.

Could I use excepto or salvo instead of menos here?

Yes! Excepto, salvo, and menos are all interchangeable when you want to say 'except'. You could say Toda la ropa es formal, excepto esa camisa or Toda la ropa es formal, salvo esa camisa with exactly the same meaning.

Why does the Spanish sentence use the singular Toda la ropa es when the English translation says 'All the clothes are'?

In Spanish, la ropa (clothing/clothes) is a singular noun, similar to how we use the word 'clothing' in English. Even though the most natural English translation is the plural 'clothes,' Spanish treats it as a single unit, which is why it uses the singular adjective Toda and the singular verb es.

Why do we use es instead of está to describe the clothes?

We use es (from the verb ser) because being formal is a permanent characteristic or style of these clothes, not a temporary condition. If you wanted to say the clothes were currently wrinkled or dirty (a temporary state), you would use está (from the verb estar).

Why use esa camisa instead of aquella camisa if both mean 'that shirt'?

Esa is the standard word for 'that' when the object is somewhat close to the listener, or just generally out of reach. You would only use aquella (that one over there) to emphasize that the shirt is physically located far away from both you and the person you are talking to.