ELONIO
Log inSign up

Me gusta este dije por el engaste, bien de oro, bien de platino.

Me gusta este dije por el engaste, bien de oro, bien de platino.
I like this pendant because of the setting, either of gold or of platinum.
From Lesson 387:Alternative options (ya sea... o...)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Me gusta este dije por el engaste, bien de oro, bien de platino.

Wait, doesn't bien mean 'well'? How does bien... bien... translate to 'either... or...'?
While bien usually means 'well', when used in pairs like bien... bien..., it acts as a distributive conjunction. It is used to present alternative options, meaning 'whether... or...' or 'either... or...'. In this sentence, it introduces the two possible materials for the jewelry setting.
Could I use ya sea... o... instead of bien... bien... in this sentence?
Absolutely! You could say ya sea de oro o de platino. Both bien... bien... and ya sea... o... are used to present alternative scenarios. Bien... bien... can sound just a little bit more formal or literary, but they are entirely interchangeable here.
Is the noun dije (pendant) related to the past tense of decir (I said)?
It is purely a coincidence! The noun un dije means a 'pendant' or 'charm' for a necklace or bracelet. It just happens to be spelled and pronounced exactly the same as dije, the first-person past tense of decir.
Why is it por el engaste and not para el engaste?
Por is used here to indicate the cause or reason you like the pendant ('because of the setting'). If you used para, it would indicate purpose or destination ('I like this pendant intended for the setting'), which doesn't fit the context here.

Learn Me gusta este dije por el engaste, bien de oro, bien de platino 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
Start learning Spanish →