Breakdown of El honor de mi familia es importante.
ser
to be
mi
my
la familia
the family
de
of
importante
important
el honor
the honor
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Questions & Answers about El honor de mi familia es importante.
Why is honor preceded by the masculine article el instead of a feminine article?
In Spanish, every noun has an inherent gender, and honor is always masculine. That’s why the sentence uses el rather than, say, la. This is a standard rule that learners must memorize for nouns that are classified as masculine.
Why does the adjective importante remain the same regardless of the gender of honor?
Adjectives ending in -e—like importante—are considered epicene, which means they keep the same form for both masculine and feminine nouns in the singular. So even though honor is masculine, importante does not change its ending.
What role does the phrase de mi familia play in the sentence?
The phrase de mi familia functions as a possessive modifier. It literally translates to "of my family" and specifies whose honor is being referred to in the sentence.
Why is the definite article el used instead of an indefinite article such as un?
Using the definite article el indicates that the speaker is referring to a specific, well-recognized quality—namely, the honor associated with their family. In Spanish, abstract qualities or inherently significant attributes are often expressed with the definite article, which underscores that the concept is unique or already known.
Why is the sentence constructed as El honor de mi familia es importante instead of rearranging the words?
The sentence follows the standard Spanish structure of subject + linking verb + predicate adjective. Here, El honor de mi familia is the subject, es is the linking verb, and importante serves as the predicate adjective describing the subject. Rearranging the word order would either change the emphasis or render the sentence ungrammatical in Spanish.