Breakdown of Lo que propongo es asar la carne junto a la hielera.
ser
to be
junto a
next to
la carne
the meat
que
that / than
Questions & Answers about Lo que propongo es asar la carne junto a la hielera.
Why do we use lo que here instead of just qué for "what"?
In Spanish, qué with an accent is mainly used for questions or exclamations. When you want to say "the thing that" to focus on an action or event in a statement, you must use the neuter relative pronoun lo que. This creates a pseudo-cleft sentence that highlights your main point: Lo que propongo es... (The thing that I propose is...).
Why does the sentence use the infinitive asar for "grilling" instead of the gerund asando?
In English, we often use the "-ing" form as a noun, like "grilling" in this sentence. However, in Spanish, you must always use the infinitive (asar) when a verb functions as a noun subject or object. The Spanish gerund (asando) is strictly used for ongoing actions, such as in the progressive tenses (for example, estoy asando).
Could I say al lado de la hielera instead of junto a la hielera?
Yes, al lado de (next to or beside) and junto a are virtually interchangeable in this context. Junto a can sometimes imply being slightly closer or physically together, but for talking about the location of the meat or grill next to a cooler, both phrases sound perfectly natural.
Is hielera the standard word for "cooler" everywhere in Latin America?