What is the rule around 'it'

Michael L.A1Kwiziq community member

What is the rule around 'it'

La puerta se ________ fácilmente. (The door opens easily.) (HINT: Conjugate "abrir" in the present tense.)


I hadn't seen any grammar rules for an object such as a door, so I used the él/ella form, hoping it might apply here. However, it seems that it was actually a part of the yo form.


I'm just curious why it isn't included in the list. Is there an equivalent for "it" in Spanish? Or is "it" considered as "I," like in the case of "yo"?

Asked 1 week ago
SilviaNative Spanish expert teacher in Kwiziq

Hola Michael L

In Spanish, there is no direct equivalent for the pronoun "it" like in English. Instead, objects like "la puerta" (the door) use the él/ella verb form, as Spanish assigns gender to nouns.

In your example, "La puerta se abre fácilmente", the verb "abrir" is conjugated in third person singular ("abre") to match the subject, "la puerta". The reflexive pronoun "se" makes the sentence impersonal or passive, meaning "the door opens" without specifying who opens it.

The subject determines the verb form, so "yo" (I) doesn’t apply here. Instead, the door is the subject, and the verb aligns accordingly.

Let me know if you’d like further clarification! 

Hasta pronto

Silvia

What is the rule around 'it'

La puerta se ________ fácilmente. (The door opens easily.) (HINT: Conjugate "abrir" in the present tense.)


I hadn't seen any grammar rules for an object such as a door, so I used the él/ella form, hoping it might apply here. However, it seems that it was actually a part of the yo form.


I'm just curious why it isn't included in the list. Is there an equivalent for "it" in Spanish? Or is "it" considered as "I," like in the case of "yo"?

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