Celebramos el cumpleaños de mi primo en casa.

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Breakdown of Celebramos el cumpleaños de mi primo en casa.

• nosotros: we
• de: of
• el primo: the cousin
• celebrar: to celebrate
• el cumpleaños: the birthday
• la casa: the home

Questions & Answers about Celebramos el cumpleaños de mi primo en casa.

Why do we say en casa instead of en la casa?

In Spanish, en casa is an idiomatic expression meaning “at home.” Native speakers often drop the article la (the) when referring to their own home in a general context. If you say en la casa, it would still be understood, but it sounds more like “in the (specific) house” rather than the usual idea of being “at home.”

Why is the possessive expressed as de mi primo instead of using an apostrophe like in English?

Spanish does not use apostrophes to show possession. Instead, it uses the formula [noun] + de + [person] to indicate something belongs to or is related to someone. Therefore, to say “my cousin’s birthday,” you use el cumpleaños de mi primo literally meaning “the birthday of my cousin.”

Could I say festejamos instead of celebramos?

Yes! Festejamos is another commonly used verb in many parts of Latin America with a similar meaning to celebramos. Both mean “we celebrate,” though celebramos is the more standard or formal word. Festejamos often has a lively connotation, emphasizing the party or festivity aspect.

Why is celebramos in the present tense if the birthday might be in the future?

Spanish sometimes uses the simple present tense to talk about actions in the near future, especially if the event is planned or scheduled. In a conversation, using celebramos can mean “we are (going to) celebrate” in a near-future sense. Of course, if it’s happening right now, it would also be correct to use the present tense.

Does primo work for both male and female cousins?

No. Primo refers to a male cousin. If your cousin is female, you would say prima. In Spanish, nouns referring to people often have a masculine and a feminine form, such as primo/prima, tío/tía, etc.