Choosing a Comfortable Chair | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. ¿Qué silla deberíamos elegir?

   Which chair should we choose?

   Qué

   which

   silla

   chair

   deberíamos

   should

   elegir

   choose

   More detail

   Qué is the interrogative word for choosing among possibilities: ¿Qué + noun...? means “Which ...?” or “What ...?” Here it asks for a chair, rather than asking for a description of the chair. silla means “chair.” It is a feminine noun: la silla and una silla. This gender belongs to the noun; it does not mean that the chair is being described as female. A useful plural is sillas. Deberíamos is the first-person plural conditional form of deber (“to owe,” and commonly “should” when followed by an infinitive). The ending -íamos marks “we” in this form. Deberíamos elegir therefore means “we should choose.” The conditional makes this a suggestion or consideration, not a direct command. For example, Deberíamos esperar means “We should wait.” Elegir is the infinitive “to choose.” After a form of deber, the following verb stays in the infinitive: deberíamos elegir, not a separately conjugated form of elegir. Its present-tense forms include elijo (“I choose”) and elegimos (“we choose”); the irregular j in elijo is part of that conjugated form. Together, ¿Qué silla deberíamos elegir? asks “Which chair should we choose?” Qué silla identifies the item to select, while deberíamos elegir presents the selection as a joint suggestion involving “we.”

2. Esta parece cómoda.

   This one looks comfortable.

   Esta

   this one

   parece

   looks; seems

   cómoda

   comfortable

   More detail

   Esta is the feminine singular demonstrative meaning “this one” here. In the supplied chair context, it refers to the selected feminine singular item, understood as silla. Demonstratives agree with the noun they identify: esta is feminine singular, while este is masculine singular and estas is feminine plural. parece is the third-person singular present form of parecer, “to seem” or “to look.” The subject is singular; the verb does not change for the subject’s gender. For example, La silla parece nueva means “The chair looks new.” cómoda means “comfortable” here. It is the feminine singular form of cómodo; it agrees with the feminine singular item understood with esta. The masculine singular form is cómodo, and plural forms include cómodos and cómodas. Together, Esta identifies the chair as “this one,” parece presents an appearance or impression, and cómoda describes that chair. The complete meaning is “This one looks comfortable.”

3. La otra silla parece demasiado pequeña.

   The other chair seems too small.

   otra

   other

   silla

   chair

   parece

   seems

   demasiado

   too

   pequeña

   small

   More detail

   otra means “other” here and is the feminine singular form of otro, matching the feminine singular noun silla. The related forms are otro with a masculine singular noun, otros for masculine plural, and otras for feminine plural. Example: otra mesa — “another/other table.” silla is a feminine noun meaning “chair.” Its gender is grammatical; it does not describe the chair’s physical characteristics. Example: La silla está aquí. — “The chair is here.” parece comes from parecer and is the present-tense third-person singular form. With La otra silla as its subject, it means “seems” or “appears.” Example: La habitación parece tranquila. — “The room seems calm.” demasiado means “too” or “excessively” before a description. It marks a degree that is beyond what is suitable or wanted: demasiado grande means “too big.” It is different from muy, which means “very” without by itself expressing excess. pequeña means “small” here and is the feminine singular form of the adjective pequeño, agreeing with silla. The masculine singular form is pequeño; plural forms include pequeños and pequeñas. For comparison, más pequeña means “smaller.” Example: La caja es pequeña. — “The box is small.” Together, La otra silla identifies the other chair, parece presents an appearance or impression, and demasiado pequeña describes its size as excessively small for the relevant purpose. The complete meaning is: “The other chair seems too small.”

4. Entonces, esta debería servir.

   Then this one should work.

   Entonces

   then

   esta

   this one

   debería

   should

   servir

   work; be suitable

   More detail

   Entonces links this sentence to what came before. Here it means “then,” introducing the speaker’s conclusion or next assessment. Example: Entonces, vamos. — “Then, let’s go.” esta is the standalone feminine singular demonstrative meaning “this one.” Its feminine singular form agrees with the understood singular referent, but the supplied sentence does not uniquely identify what that referent is. It is not simply the word for “this” in every grammatical environment: before a feminine singular noun, the corresponding form is also esta, as in esta silla — “this chair.” debería is the third-person singular conditional form of deber. In this sentence, deber + infinitive expresses an expected or appropriate result: “should.” Example: Esto debería bastar. — “This should be enough.” The conditional form presents the expectation rather than a direct command. servir is an infinitive meaning “to work” or “to be suitable” in this context. The same verb can also mean “to serve” in other contexts, so the intended meaning here comes from its combination with debería and the fixed translation. Example: Esta llave puede servir. — “This key may work.” Together, Entonces, esta debería servir. means “Then this one should work.” Entonces marks the conclusion, esta identifies a feminine singular “this one,” and debería servir says that it is expected to be suitable or effective.

5. ¿Qué te parece el color brillante?

   What do you think of the bright color?

   ¿Qué te parece

   What do you think of…?

   color

   color

   brillante

   bright

   More detail

   ¿Qué te parece asks for the listener’s opinion about something. The verb parecer means “to seem” or “to appear”; in this pattern, te marks the person to whom something seems a certain way. The pattern ¿Qué te parece + noun? is a reusable way to ask “What do you think of + noun?” Example: ¿Qué te parece la silla? — “What do you think of the chair?” color is a masculine singular noun meaning “color.” Its plural is colores: los colores — “the colors.” The article el agrees with this singular masculine noun. brillante describes the color as bright. This adjective has the same singular form for masculine and feminine nouns, and its plural form is brillantes: colores brillantes — “bright colors.” Example: La pantalla es brillante. — “The screen is bright.” Together, ¿Qué te parece el color brillante? asks the listener for their opinion of the bright color: “What do you think of the bright color?”

6. El color hace que la silla sea fácil de ver.

   It makes the chair easy to spot.

   color

   color

   hace que

   makes … happen

   silla

   chair

   sea

   is

   fácil

   easy

   ver

   see

   More detail

   color means “color.” Its plural is colores; the form here is singular because it refers to one color. Example: El color cambia. — “The color changes.” hace que is a reusable causative pattern: hacer que + clause means “to make/cause something to happen.” The subject of hacer is El color, while the following clause describes the result. Example: La luz hace que el camino sea visible. — “The light makes the path visible.” silla means “chair.” Its plural is sillas. Here, la silla identifies the chair that is easy to spot; the feminine article agrees with this noun. Example: La silla está aquí. — “The chair is here.” sea is the singular present subjunctive form of ser (“to be”). After hace que, Spanish uses the subjunctive because the clause expresses a result caused by the subject. Ser has present indicative es (“is”) and present subjunctive sea; do not treat sea as a different base verb. fácil means “easy.” It is a descriptive adjective and has the same written form with a singular masculine or feminine noun; its plural is fáciles. In fácil de ver, it describes how easy the chair is to see. Example: La tarea es fácil de hacer. — “The task is easy to do.” ver means “to see.” It is the infinitive, used here after fácil de to name the action that is easy. Example: Es fácil ver la señal. — “It is easy to see the sign.” Together, El color hace que presents the color as causing a result, and la silla sea fácil de ver says that the result is that the chair is easy to spot. Thus the whole utterance means: “The color makes the chair easy to spot.”

7. Vamos a elegir esta silla.

   Let's choose this chair.

   Vamos a

   let's

   elegir

   choose

   esta

   this

   silla

   chair

   More detail

   Vamos a is a common Spanish pattern for a planned or immediate action: ir in the present + a + an infinitive. Here vamos is the first-person plural form of ir, so the speaker includes themself and at least one other person: “we are going to …” or, as a suggestion, “let’s …”. Example: Vamos a estudiar. — “Let’s study.” This pattern is different from the simple present elegimos, which can mean “we choose” or “we are choosing” depending on context. elegir is the infinitive, or base form, meaning “to choose.” After vamos a, Spanish uses the infinitive, not a conjugated form: Vamos a elegir, not Vamos a elegimos. Its present-tense first-person plural form is elegimos in a different structure. Example: Quiero elegir el menú. — “I want to choose the menu.” esta is the feminine singular demonstrative meaning “this.” It agrees with the feminine singular noun it modifies, silla: esta silla. The corresponding masculine singular form is este, as in este libro — “this book.” The accent distinguishes the demonstrative esta from the verb form está (“is”); the form in this sentence has no accent. silla is a feminine singular noun meaning “chair.” Its plural is sillas, and the feminine singular article is la: la silla — “the chair.” In the supplied context, the chair is the item being discussed, and the later pronoun la refers to it. Together, vamos a elegir expresses the included speakers’ plan or suggestion to choose, while esta silla identifies the choice as this particular chair. The complete utterance therefore means “Let’s choose this chair.”

8. Yo la voy a mover aquí.

   I will move it over here.

   Yo

   I

   la

   it

   voy a

   am going to

   mover

   move

   aquí

   here

   More detail

   Yo explicitly states the speaker as the subject: “I.” Spanish subject pronouns are often omitted when the verb form already identifies the person, but yo adds clear emphasis or contrast. Here it agrees with voy, the first-person singular form of ir. la is a feminine singular direct-object clitic. In this context it means “it” and refers to the chair mentioned in the preceding sentence, the item being chosen. Its form reflects the Spanish grammatical gender and number of the noun it replaces; it does not mean “her” here. Compare lo for a masculine singular direct object and las for a feminine plural direct object. voy a contains voy, the first-person singular present form of ir, followed by a. With an infinitive, ir a + infinitive expresses a planned or forthcoming action: Voy a descansar = “I am going to rest.” The explicit subject yo and voy together identify the speaker as the person who will act. mover is the infinitive “to move.” After voy a, Spanish uses the infinitive rather than a finite form: Voy a mover = “I am going to move.” The verb describes changing the item's position; la supplies the item being moved. aquí means “here,” referring to the place indicated by the speaker. The accent mark is part of the written form. Compare ahí for “there” and allí for “there” at a more distant or specifically indicated location. Together, Yo identifies the actor, la identifies the feminine singular item being moved, and voy a mover expresses the speaker’s forthcoming action. aquí gives the destination or location. The whole utterance means: “I will move it over here.”