El parque es público.

to be

Breakdown of El parque es público.

• el parque: the park
• público: public

Questions & Answers about El parque es público.

Why is el used with parque, even though parque doesn’t end in -o?

In Spanish the gender of a noun isn’t determined solely by its ending. Although many masculine nouns end in -o, parque is inherently masculine. Therefore, it takes the masculine article el.

Why is the verb es (from ser) used instead of está (from estar) in this sentence?

The verb ser is used for inherent, permanent qualities or classifications. Saying El parque es público indicates that being public is an essential, defining characteristic of the park—not a temporary state—which is why ser (and its form es) is used rather than estar.

Why does the adjective público come after the verb, rather than immediately before or after the noun?

When using the verb ser to describe a subject, the adjective naturally follows the linking verb. In this construction, público functions as a predicate adjective that describes the state or quality of the park. This order—subject, verb, adjective—is the standard pattern in Spanish for descriptive sentences.

Does público carry the same meaning as public in English? Does it imply government ownership?

Yes, público generally means that the park is open for use by everyone and is managed or funded by government or community resources rather than by a private entity. While it emphasizes public accessibility, the implication of government ownership can depend on additional context.

Why is there an accent mark over the u in público?

The accent mark in público indicates that the stress falls on the first syllable, pú. According to Spanish accentuation rules, words ending in a vowel are normally stressed on the penultimate syllable. Since público is pronounced with stress on the first syllable (breaking that rule), the accent mark is used to signal this irregular stress pattern.

How would you change the sentence if you wanted to say "The parks are public" in Spanish?

To express the plural, both the noun and the adjective, as well as the article and verb form, must agree in number. The sentence would change to Los parques son públicos—using the plural article los, the plural noun parques, the plural form of the verb ser (i.e., son), and the plural adjective públicos.