What does the underlined word mean in the following sentence?
Nos interesa la idea.
enchants
pleases
bores
interests
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is interests.
In the sentence Nos interesa la idea, the word interesa is a form of the verb interesar, which means “to interest” or “to be of interest to.” In this context, interesa is conjugated in the third person singular to agree with la idea (the idea), meaning that the idea is something that interests the speaker or the people being referred to.
In Spanish, the verb interesar is often used in a construction where the subject is what causes interest, rather than the person who is interested. This is similar to saying “The idea interests us” in English, where the subject (the idea) is performing the action of “interest” on the object (us).
Here is a breakdown of the sentence:
- Nos means “us” or “to us,” referring to the people who are interested.
- Interesa is the third-person singular form of interesar, meaning “interests” in English.
- La idea means “the idea.”
Thus, the sentence translates to The idea interests us.
The other options are incorrect because:
- Enchants would translate to encanta, which is a different verb form.
- Pleases would also be agrada, another verb form used to express liking or pleasure.
- Bores would be aburre, which would indicate that something causes boredom, and does not fit in this context.
Understanding how verbs like interesar work in Spanish helps to recognize that the idea (subject) is the one performing the action of causing interest.