Breakdown of Se acepta a las candidatas por su portafolio y su apariencia.
y
and
su
his/her/its/their/your (formal)
por
for / by / through / in/during (part of the day)
se
(impersonal) one / passive marker
aceptar
to accept
el candidato
the candidate
la apariencia
the appearance
el portafolio
the portfolio
a
personal 'a' (marks a human direct object)
Questions & Answers about Se acepta a las candidatas por su portafolio y su apariencia.
Why is the verb acepta singular when las candidatas is plural?
Why add the personal a at all? Couldn't we just say Se aceptan las candidatas?
You could, but it can be ambiguous. Without the a, Se aceptan las candidatas is a passive sentence that usually means 'The candidates are accepted.' However, because candidates are people, it could also mean 'The candidates accept each other.' Using the personal a and a singular verb (Se acepta a...) completely removes this ambiguity, guaranteeing the impersonal meaning.
Why is por used here instead of para?
Since there are multiple candidates, shouldn't it be sus portafolio?
No, because possessive adjectives in Spanish must agree with the thing being owned, not the owner. Even though there are multiple candidates, the word portafolio is singular in this sentence. If the sentence wanted to emphasize multiple physical portfolios, both words would become plural: sus portafolios.
Learn Se acepta a las candidatas por su portafolio y su apariencia 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