What does the underlined word mean in the following sentence?
Ella se peina el cabello mientras charla con amigas.
A. She combs
B. She washes
C. She brushes
D. She cuts
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is A. She combs.
Here’s the breakdown of the sentence and the underlined word:
- The sentence in Spanish is: “Ella se peina el cabello mientras charla con amigas.”
- The underlined word is “peina.”
In this sentence, “peina” is the verb in its reflexive form, which comes from the verb “peinar”. The reflexive pronoun “se” indicates that the action is being done to the subject herself, meaning that “ella” (she) is performing the action on her own hair.
The verb “peinar” specifically refers to the action of combing or styling one’s hair. It does not refer to washing, brushing, or cutting, which are different actions in Spanish. Let’s review the other choices:
- B. She washes: The verb for washing hair in Spanish is “lavar”, not “peinar”.
- C. She brushes: The verb for brushing hair is “cepillar”, not “peinar”. “Cepillar” would be used if the action were brushing the hair.
- D. She cuts: The verb for cutting hair is “cortar”, not “peinar”.
Thus, the most accurate translation for “Ella se peina el cabello” is “She combs her hair”.
In this sentence, “mientras charla con amigas” means “while chatting with friends”. This part provides additional context, indicating that Ella is multitasking by combing her hair while talking with her friends.
In summary, the verb “peinar” means “to comb”, and in its reflexive form, “peina” indicates that Ella is combing her own hair. Therefore, the correct answer is A. She combs.