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Questions & Answers about La luna es bonita esta noche.
What does La luna es bonita esta noche mean in English?
It means "The moon is beautiful tonight." The sentence is broken down as "la luna" (the moon), "es bonita" (is beautiful), and "esta noche" (tonight).
Why is the verb es used instead of está in this sentence?
Es comes from the verb ser, which is used to express inherent or defining qualities. In this sentence, the beauty of the moon is presented as a general characteristic rather than a temporary state, so ser (es) is appropriate despite the time-specific phrase esta noche.
How does the adjective bonita agree with the noun luna?
In Spanish, adjectives must match the noun they describe in gender and number. Since luna (moon) is a feminine noun, bonita is correctly used in its feminine singular form.
What role does esta noche play in the sentence, and why is it placed at the end?
Esta noche is an adverbial phrase that indicates the time when the statement applies—tonight. In Spanish, adverbial phrases often appear at the beginning or end of a sentence to modify the verb, and placing it at the end is a common practice to emphasize the description.
Why is the definite article la used before luna?
Just like in English ("the moon"), Spanish requires a definite article before a specific noun. Since luna is a singular feminine noun, la is used to indicate that we are talking about a particular moon.
Is it acceptable to change the word order, for example, placing the adjective before the noun as in la bonita luna esta noche?
Yes, Spanish allows some flexibility with adjective placement. While adjectives that denote inherent qualities typically follow the noun (as in la luna bonita), placing the adjective before the noun (as in la bonita luna) is also grammatically correct. However, this slight change in order can alter the nuance or emphasis of the description. In this context, keeping the adjective after the noun is more natural.