Mi hermano compra dulces en la tienda después del trabajo.

My brother buys sweets at the store after work.

Breakdown of Mi hermano compra dulces en la tienda después del trabajo.

• en: in
• mi: my
• el hermano: the brother
• comprar: to buy
• la tienda: the store
• después de: after
• el trabajo: the work

Questions & Answers about Mi hermano compra dulces en la tienda después del trabajo.

Why is mi used before hermano?

In Spanish, mi is a possessive adjective that means my. It is used directly before the noun hermano to show that the speaker is talking about their own brother. It agrees in number but not in gender—there’s no separate masculine or feminine form here like mi or mis (the latter is just for plural).

Why do we use compra in simple present tense instead of a progressive form?

In Spanish, the simple present tense (compra) can convey actions happening right now, habitual actions, or near-future plans. Unlike English, it often covers what English might express with is buying or buys. A progressive form, está comprando, is used more specifically to emphasize the action is happening at this very moment.

Why don’t we need to say compra a dulces or something with a preposition before dulces?

In Spanish, when the verb comprar (to buy) directly acts on an object (in this case, dulces), you usually don’t need an extra preposition. This direct object structure (compra dulces) is just how Spanish grammar typically handles buying something.

Why is it en la tienda and not a la tienda?

The preposition en means in or at in Spanish, indicating location. Here, it tells us where the brother buys candy. If you used a la tienda, it would suggest movement toward the store (e.g., going to the store), rather than buying candy in or at the store.

Why is it después del trabajo instead of just después de trabajo?

When después de is followed by a noun, Spanish typically includes the appropriate article, in this case el, giving después del trabajo. Literally, it means after the work, although in English we just say after work. This contraction of de + el → del is required in Spanish whenever de is followed by the masculine definite article el.