Breakdown of Mira, el jarrón de barro está roto.
de
of
estar
to be (location/state)
mirar
to look
roto
broken
el barro
the clay
el jarrón
the vase
Questions & Answers about Mira, el jarrón de barro está roto.
Why do we use está roto instead of es roto?
We use estar here because it describes the current physical condition or state of the vase. When you use estar with a past participle like roto, it shows the result of an action (the vase got broken, and now it is in a broken state). If you used ser, it would sound like a passive action happening right now.
Why is the word for "broken" roto instead of a regular form like "rompido"?
How does de barro work to mean "clay" in this sentence?
In English, we often use a noun like an adjective to say what something is made of (a clay vase, a gold ring). Spanish doesn't do this. Instead, you use the main noun (el jarrón), the preposition de (of), and then the material (barro). It literally translates to "the vase of clay".
Why is the command "Look" translated as Mira here?
Mira is the affirmative command for tú (informal "you"). For regular -ar verbs like mirar, the affirmative tú command looks exactly like the normal él/ella/usted present tense form. If you were speaking formally to an usted, you would say Mire.
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