Log inSign up

La piedra se hunde si la pones en el mar.

La piedra se hunde si la pones en el mar.
The stone sinks if you put it in the sea.
From Lesson 176:The first conditional (si)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about La piedra se hunde si la pones en el mar.

Why are both verbs (hunde and pones) in the present tense?
This sentence is a first conditional that states a general fact. When using si (if) to talk about facts or things that always happen under a certain condition, Spanish uses the present tense for both parts of the sentence, exactly like English does here ('sinks' and 'put').
Why do we need the word se before hunde?
The verb is hundirse (to sink). Spanish often uses reflexive pronouns like se when a subject undergoes a change of state or performs an action on its own without a direct outside force. Since the stone is sinking by itself rather than sinking another object, we need the reflexive se.
What does the la mean in si la pones, and why is it placed before the verb?
La means 'it' and refers back to the feminine noun la piedra (the stone). In Spanish, direct object pronouns like la must be placed immediately before the conjugated verb, so 'you put it' translates to la pones.
Why does the sentence use en el mar instead of al mar?
While English distinguishes between putting something 'in' versus 'into' the sea, Spanish commonly uses the preposition en for both location (being in) and placement (putting into). So, poner en el mar is the most natural way to say 'put into the sea'.

Learn La piedra se hunde si la pones en el mar 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
Start learning Spanish →