Questions & Answers about Mi gato tiene pelo suave.
What does each part of the sentence "Mi gato tiene pelo suave" mean?
The sentence breaks down as follows: mi means “my”, gato means “cat”, tiene is the third-person singular form of tener (meaning “has”), pelo translates to “hair” or “fur,” and suave means “soft.” Even though the overall meaning is already clear, knowing the individual components helps you recognize these words in other contexts.
Why is the adjective suave placed after the noun pelo instead of before it as in English?
In Spanish, descriptive adjectives generally follow the noun they modify. So instead of saying “soft hair,” the natural order is pelo suave. While there are exceptions where adjectives can precede the noun to convey a different nuance, for typical descriptive adjectives like suave, the standard is to place them after the noun.
Does the adjective suave change according to the gender or number of the noun?
Many Spanish adjectives do change to agree with the noun’s gender and number, but suave is one of those adjectives that remains unchanged in the singular form, whether its noun is masculine or feminine. For example, pelo suave (masculine) and cama suave (feminine) use the same form. (Note that if you were to pluralize, you’d normally add an -s: pelos suaves.)
What does the verb form tiene tell me about the subject?