Breakdown of A lo mejor el vuelo del águila es fallido hoy.
ser
to be
hoy
today
del
from the / of the
el vuelo
the flight
a lo mejor
maybe
el águila
the eagle (f)
fallido
failed
Questions & Answers about A lo mejor el vuelo del águila es fallido hoy.
Why is the verb "es" in the indicative instead of the subjunctive if "a lo mejor" means "maybe"?
Even though it expresses doubt, a lo mejor is a notable exception among probability phrases and almost always takes the indicative mood. If you swapped it for tal vez or quizás, you would be expected to use the subjunctive (sea).
"Águila" is a feminine noun. Why does it use the masculine article "el"?
Feminine nouns that begin with a stressed "a" or "ha" sound take the masculine article el in the singular to avoid the awkward blended sound of la águila. The word itself is still feminine, so in the plural it becomes las águilas, and any adjectives modifying it must be feminine (for example, el águila majestuosa).
How can we apply this lesson's grammar (dar por) to the word fallido from this sentence?
You could say Dan por fallido el vuelo to mean "They consider the flight a failure" or "They are giving up the flight as a failure". The periphrasis dar por + adjective or past participle is used to express that someone officially judges, assumes, or accepts a situation to be a certain way.
Learn A lo mejor el vuelo del águila es fallido hoy 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