Question 1

The sentence translates to 'They have to organize', but where is the word for 'they'?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, you often drop subject words like ellos or ellas (they). The verb form tienen already tells us that the subject is 'they' (or 'you all' if using ustedes). You only need to add ellos if you really need to clarify who you are talking about.

Question 2

Why is there a que between tienen and organizar?

Accepted Answer

When you want to express obligation—saying you 'have to' do something—you must use the phrase tener que followed by the dictionary form of an action word. Here, tienen que organizar means 'they have to organize'. Without the que, it would be grammatically incorrect.

Question 3

Why does organizar stay in its dictionary form instead of matching 'they'?

Accepted Answer

When two verbs are paired together in this way, only the first verb changes to match the person doing the action. The first verb (tener) changes to tienen, while the second verb (organizar) stays in its basic, unchanged form (the infinitive).

Question 4

Doesn't comida also mean 'lunch' in Spain?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it does! While la comida translates broadly to 'food', people in Spain also use it specifically to refer to the midday meal (lunch). In the context of this sentence, however, it simply refers to the food for the party.

Question 5

Why use para instead of por to say 'for the party'?

Accepted Answer

Both words can translate to 'for', but they have different uses. You use para when talking about a destination, goal, or recipient. Since the food is intended or destined for the party, para is the correct choice here.

Tienen que organizar la comida para la fiesta.

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