La casa de mi amigo es grande.

My friend's house is big.

Breakdown of La casa de mi amigo es grande.

• ser: to be
• grande: big
• mi: my
• de: of
• el amigo: the friend
• la casa: the house

Questions & Answers about La casa de mi amigo es grande.

Why is it la instead of el when talking about casa?

In Spanish, casa (house) is a feminine noun, so the feminine article la is used. Nouns referring to inanimate objects have grammatical genders that need to be memorized.

Why do we say de mi amigo instead of something like a mi amigo?

The preposition de generally shows possession or belonging in Spanish, similar to using 's in English. It indicates that the house belongs to your friend. On the other hand, a often indicates direction or a personal direct object, which doesn't fit here.

Why is es used here instead of está?

Ser (conjugated as es) is used to describe an essential characteristic or inherent quality—in this case, the size of the house. Estar would be used for states or conditions likely to change, such as mood or location (e.g., está en la ciudad).

Is amigo always referring to a male friend?

Typically, amigo refers to a male friend, and amiga would refer to a female friend. If you mean a female friend, you would say ...de mi amiga. In casual conversation, some people use amigue or other forms to be gender-neutral, but in most standard contexts, amigo is masculine and amiga is feminine.

Can grande change form depending on the noun?

The adjective grande can appear as gran when placed before a singular noun (masculine or feminine) and it means great rather than big. For instance, un gran amigo implies a great friend, while un amigo grande refers to a big friend. However, in this sentence, grande follows es and remains grande because it comes after the noun.