El exterior de la casa es bonito.

to be

Breakdown of El exterior de la casa es bonito.

• de: of
• la casa: the house
• bonito: pretty

Questions & Answers about El exterior de la casa es bonito.

What does the word exterior mean in this sentence, and how is it used?

In this sentence, exterior functions as a noun meaning “the outside” or “the external part” of something—in this case, of the house. Although in English we might say “the outside,” Spanish uses exterior to refer to the external appearance or outer area.

Why is the phrase de la casa used instead of del casa?

The phrase de la casa means “of the house.” Because casa is a feminine noun, it takes the feminine article la. In Spanish, when you need to say “of the” with a masculine noun, you contract de + el to form del, but with a feminine noun like casa you simply use de la.

Which part of the sentence is the subject, and how does that affect the adjective bonito?

The entire phrase El exterior de la casa is the subject of the sentence. The adjective bonito is a predicate adjective that describes this subject. Since exterior is the head noun (and it is masculine singular), bonito is also in the masculine singular form, even though casa is feminine.

Why is the adjective bonito placed after the verb es rather than directly before exterior like some adjectives in English?