Is there a difference between en and sobre and what is it?
exs.
Hay tres personas en la sofá.
El gato está sobre el sofá.
La alfombra roja está sobre el piso.
El cubo de basura está el el piso.
Is there a difference between en and sobre? If there is a difference, what is it?
Thanks!, spanflyer
3 Answers
Maybe an over simplification but I perceive sobre as above or over, imagining the cat on the back of the sofa, the rug over the floor and would use en to be seated within the sofa.
Hay tres personas en/sobre el sofá. (There are three people on the sofa)
El gato está en/sobre el sofá. (The cat is on the sofa).
La alfombra roja está sobre/en el piso/suelo. (The red carpet is on the floor). (I suppose you are talking about the carpet used in spectacles).
La alfombra está en/sobre el suelo. (The carpet is on the floor). (It is better "en"). If you say "sobre" it can be redundant or pompous.
El cubo de basura está en/sobre el suelo.(The rubbish bin is on the floor). In theory, it should be correct "sobre el suelo", but from my point of view it sounds redundant or pompous.
(Be careful with "piso" because "piso" can mean "house" and "floor").
However, I don't know why in the case of "the red carpet unfolded in spectacles" it is very used the word "piso".
Most times, we use to saying "en". It is almost always used because it is not necessary to specify that they are "on". On some occasions using "sobre" instead of "en" can be redundant because it is supposed that they are "sobre".
On- put it on the table- ponlo en or sobre la mesa;
Over- por encima; a plane flies over every five minutes- pasa un avión cada cinco minutos
