Breakdown of A veces los celos causan problemas en la familia.
en
in
la familia
the family
a veces
sometimes
el problema
the problem
causar
to cause
los celos
the jealousy
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Questions & Answers about A veces los celos causan problemas en la familia.
What does A veces mean, and where can it appear in a sentence?
A veces means sometimes. It’s an adverbial phrase of frequency. You can place A veces at the beginning (A veces los celos causan problemas), before the verb (Los celos a veces causan problemas), or even at the end (Los celos causan problemas a veces). All positions are grammatically correct; you just shift the emphasis slightly.
Why is celos plural when the English word jealousy is singular?
Spanish often uses the plural form celos to express the general feeling of jealousy, whereas English treats jealousy as a mass (uncountable) noun. There is no singular Spanish version celo with this meaning; you always say los celos.
Why do we include the definite article los before celos?
In Spanish, abstract concepts or general emotions like celos typically take the definite article. Think of los miedos, las alegrías, la tristeza, etc. Omitting los before celos would sound incomplete or unidiomatic.
Why is the verb causan in the third person plural form?
Because its subject, los celos, is plural. In Spanish, verbs must agree in person and number with their subjects. Since los celos is third person plural, you use causan (ellos causan).
What part of speech is causan, and how is causar conjugated in the present tense?
Causan is the third person plural form of the verb causar (to cause) in the present indicative. The full present-tense conjugation is:
• yo causo
• tú causas
• él/ella causa
• nosotros causamos
• vosotros causáis
• ellos/ellas causan
Why do we say en la familia instead of de la familia or para la familia?
En la familia means “within the family” or “inside the family unit.”
• de la familia would mean “of the family” (possession or origin).
• para la familia would mean “for the family” (benefit or purpose).
Here we want to express that problems occur inside the family context, so en la familia is the correct choice.
Could the sentence be rearranged as Los celos a veces causan problemas en la familia?
Yes. Spanish allows flexibility in adverb placement. Los celos a veces causan problemas en la familia conveys the same meaning. The emphasis shifts slightly toward los celos rather than the timing (a veces), but both word orders are perfectly acceptable.
How is causan pronounced, and why doesn’t it have a written accent?
Causan is pronounced [ˈkau̯.san], with stress on the first syllable cau. Spanish accentuation rules state that words ending in a vowel, n, or s are naturally stressed on the penultimate syllable. Since causan ends in n, no written accent is needed.