Breakdown of Tengo un paraguas azul porque hoy puede llover.
yo
I
hoy
today
tener
to have
porque
because
llover
to rain
poder
to be able
un
a
azul
blue
el paraguas
the umbrella
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Questions & Answers about Tengo un paraguas azul porque hoy puede llover.
Why is tengo used instead of he tenido?
In Spanish the simple present tengo describes a current state of possession (“I have”). He tenido is the present perfect and emphasizes that you’ve had something in the past with relevance to now, but it’s not how you say “I have (own) an umbrella” in the present.
Why un paraguas and not el paraguas?
Un is the indefinite article (“a/an”), used for something not previously specified. El is the definite article (“the”), used when both speaker and listener know exactly which umbrella is meant.
Why does the adjective azul come after the noun?
In Spanish, descriptive adjectives normally follow the noun: noun + adjective. So you say un paraguas azul. Placing an adjective before the noun often adds poetic effect or emphasis, but the basic order is after.
Why doesn’t azul change to azula or azules?
Spanish adjectives agree in number (and sometimes gender) with the noun:
- Azul is the same for both masculine and feminine.
- It only changes in number: azul (singular), azules (plural).
Here paraguas is singular, so azul remains singular.
Why isn’t there a subject pronoun like yo or “it” in puede llover?
Spanish drops subject pronouns because the verb ending conveys the subject. In puede llover, the verb is impersonal—it refers to weather, not a person—so there is no expressed “it,” unlike English which needs “it may rain.”
What does puede llover literally mean, and how is it used?
Literally it’s “it can rain.” It’s an impersonal construction using poder + infinitive to express possibility. You’d translate it as “it may/might rain,” indicating you’re not certain but rain is possible.
What’s the difference between puede llover, va a llover, and puede que llueva?
- Puede llover = “It may rain” (possibility).
- Va a llover = “It’s going to rain” (stronger likelihood).
- Puede que llueva
- subjunctive = also “it may rain,” slightly more colloquial and always followed by llueva.
Why is porque one word here instead of por qué?
- Porque (one word) means “because,” used to introduce a cause.
- Por qué (two words) means “why?” in questions.
- Por que and porqué exist in other contexts, but to say “because today it may rain” you need porque.
Can hoy go in a different position in the sentence?
Yes. Spanish word order is flexible. Examples:
- Hoy puede llover, por eso tengo un paraguas azul.
- Porque puede llover hoy, tengo un paraguas azul.
Shifting hoy changes emphasis on “today” but remains grammatically correct.