Breakdown of Estarán estudiando esa luz misteriosa.
estudiar
to study
estar
to be (location/state)
ese
that (m.sg., also esa, esos, esas, eso)
misterioso
mysterious
Questions & Answers about Estarán estudiando esa luz misteriosa.
Why is the future tense estarán used when the English translation says "are probably studying" in the present?
This is called the future of probability. In Spanish, you can use the future tense to guess or make a strong assumption about what is happening right now. Here, estarán translates closer to "they must be" or "they are probably."
Could we just say estudiarán instead of estarán estudiando?
Yes, but the meaning shifts slightly. Estarán estudiando uses the continuous form (to be doing something) to emphasize that the action is likely happening right at this exact moment. Estudiarán would mean "they probably study" as a general habit, or it could simply mean "they will study" in the actual future.
Why do we use esa for "that" instead of aquella?
Both can translate to "that," but esa is the standard word for something relatively close to the speaker or listener, either in physical distance or in the context of the conversation. Aquella is used to emphasize that something is physically or mentally far away from both the speaker and the listener.
How can I tell that luz is a feminine noun so I know to use esa and misteriosa?