Breakdown of La valla es muy baja; es más, cualquier persona puede saltarla.
ser
to be
bajo
short (height) / low
muy
very
la persona
person
poder
to be able to / can
la
it / her (direct object)
saltar
to jump
cualquiera
any (whichever) / anyone
es más
furthermore
la valla
barrier
Questions & Answers about La valla es muy baja; es más, cualquier persona puede saltarla.
Why does es más mean "in fact" here instead of "it is more"?
Es más is a connector used to escalate or add surprising emphasis to a point you just made. While it literally translates to "it is more," it functions exactly like "what's more," "moreover," or "in fact" in English. Here, it takes the first statement about the barrier being low and escalates it with an even stronger point: anyone can jump it.
Why is it cualquier persona and not cualquiera persona?
The standard word for "any" is cualquiera. However, there is a special rule for this word: when it comes immediately before a singular noun, it drops its final "a" and becomes cualquier. This happens regardless of the noun's gender, which is why it becomes cualquier persona even though persona is feminine.
The translation says "jump over it," but where is the word for "over"?
In English we need "over" to explain how we are clearing an obstacle, but in Spanish, the verb saltar can take a direct object for this meaning. You don't need to add a preposition like sobre (over). You can just say saltar la valla (literally "jump the barrier").
Why is the pronoun la attached to the very end of saltar?
The pronoun la means "it" here, referring back to the feminine noun la valla. Because saltar is in its infinitive (unconjugated) form after the conjugated verb puede, the object pronoun must be attached directly to the end of the infinitive to make a single word: saltarla.
Learn La valla es muy baja; es más, cualquier persona puede saltarla 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