Él canta una canción nueva.

to sing

Breakdown of Él canta una canción nueva.

• nuevo: new
• la canción: the song
• él: he

Questions & Answers about Él canta una canción nueva.

Why is Él used here if Spanish often drops the subject pronoun?

In Spanish, subject pronouns (like Él) are usually optional because the verb ending tells you who is doing the action. However, you can include them for emphasis or clarity—especially if you want to emphasize he is the one singing, distinguish him from someone else, or just for stylistic reasons. In this sentence, Él puts specific focus on the person doing the singing.

Why is the verb canta used instead of something like cante or cantar?

Canta is the third-person singular present indicative form of cantar (meaning to sing). In Spanish: • Cantar is the infinitive (like to sing in English).
• Canta is the conjugated form used with Él, Ella, or Usted in the present tense.
• Cante is a subjunctive form, used for specific contexts like expressing doubt or desire.
Since this sentence states a straightforward fact—he sings a new song—the indicative present (canta) is correct.

Why is una used before canción instead of un?

Spanish nouns have grammatical gender. Canción is a feminine noun, so it needs a matching feminine article. Una is the feminine indefinite article (the masculine equivalent is un). Because canción is feminine, we must say una canción, not un canción.

Why is canción considered a feminine word?

Many Spanish nouns that end in -ción or -sión are feminine, such as canción, televisión, and invitación. There isn’t always an obvious logical reason for each noun’s gender, so it’s often something you memorize and reinforce through practice.

Why does nueva come after canción instead of before it?

Spanish adjectives can sometimes appear before or after the noun, but the common pattern is that most descriptive adjectives follow the noun. Saying una canción nueva keeps the standard word order: noun + adjective. If you placed the adjective before (una nueva canción), it could suggest a slightly different context or nuance—sometimes implying a more subjective emphasis. However, in everyday usage, both orders are understandable and commonly heard in Latin America.