Breakdown of Lo mejor es servir los aperitivos debajo de las guirnaldas.
ser
to be
los
the (masculine plural)
las
the (feminine plural)
mejor
better
servir
to serve / to work / be suitable
debajo de
under
lo
the ... thing (neuter article)
el aperitivo
the appetizer
la guirnalda
the garland
Questions & Answers about Lo mejor es servir los aperitivos debajo de las guirnaldas.
Why is it lo mejor instead of el mejor?
We use the neuter pronoun lo followed by an adjective to express an abstract concept, meaning 'the best thing' or 'that which is best'. Because 'the best thing' doesn't refer to a specific masculine or feminine noun, we use lo instead of el or la. This sets up the focus of the sentence, similar to how a pseudo-cleft sentence introduces a main point before revealing the action.
Why does the translation say 'serving' but the Spanish uses the infinitive servir instead of sirviendo?
In Spanish, when a verb acts as a noun (such as representing an activity), it must be in the infinitive. The Spanish gerund ending in -iendo is strictly for continuous actions happening in the moment, never to represent the name of an activity itself. Therefore, the concept of 'serving' translates to the infinitive servir.
Could I use bajo instead of debajo de here?
Yes, you could say bajo las guirnaldas. Both mean 'under'. However, debajo de emphasizes a specific, literal physical location, making it very natural for physical objects in a room. Bajo is slightly more formal and is heavily used for figurative situations, like being 'under pressure' (bajo presión).
Since los aperitivos is plural, why is the verb es singular?
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