Learn Spanish (Spain): La sal está en la mesa.

La sal está en la mesa.

The salt is on the table.

Breakdown of La sal está en la mesa.

in / on / by (means of transport) / about (after pensar)

estar

to be (location/state)

Questions & Answers about La sal está en la mesa.

Why do we use está here instead of es?

Both estar and ser mean "to be" in English. However, we use estar (and its form está) whenever we are talking about where something is located. Since we are talking about the physical location of the salt, we use está.

Does en mean "in" or "on"?

It can mean both! The Spanish word en translates to "in", "on", or "at" depending on the context. Since we usually put salt on a table rather than inside it, "on" is the best English translation for this sentence.

Why is it la sal instead of el sal if the word does not end in an "a"?

While many feminine words in Spanish end in -a, there are some exceptions. Sal is a feminine noun, so it must always be paired with the feminine word for "the", which is la.