Learn Spanish (Latin America): ¿Podría ensanchar estas botas de gamuza?

¿Podría ensanchar estas botas de gamuza?

Could you stretch these suede boots?

Breakdown of ¿Podría ensanchar estas botas de gamuza?

Questions & Answers about ¿Podría ensanchar estas botas de gamuza?

How is the verb ensanchar formed?

It comes from the adjective ancho, which means "wide." In Spanish, a common way to turn an adjective into a verb is by adding the prefix en- and the suffix -ar. So, ensanchar literally means "to make wider" or "to stretch."

How could I rephrase this sentence using the lesson's target grammar to say "I came for you to stretch these boots"?

You would use a verb of motion like venir (to come) followed by a que and the subjunctive of the action verb. Since you are addressing the person formally, it becomes: Vine a que ensanche estas botas de gamuza (I came for you to stretch these suede boots).

Why is Podría used here instead of Podrías?

Podría is the conditional form of poder conjugated for usted. When asking for a service from a professional, like a cobbler, using the formal usted is standard and polite in most of Latin America. If asking a friend, you would use the tú form: ¿Podrías ensanchar...?

Why does the Spanish sentence use de before gamuza?