Breakdown of Hoy el médico me dio una pastilla pequeña para el dolor.
pequeño
small
hoy
today
me
me
para
for
una
a
dar
to give
el médico
the doctor
la pastilla
the pill
el dolor
the pain
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Questions & Answers about Hoy el médico me dio una pastilla pequeña para el dolor.
Why is hoy placed at the beginning of the sentence?
In Spanish, adverbs of time like hoy can go at the start for emphasis or clarity. You could also say El médico me dio hoy una pastilla pequeña para el dolor, but putting hoy first highlights that it happened today.
Why is the definite article el used before médico?
When referring to a specific person by profession in the third person, Spanish normally uses the definite article: el médico = “the doctor.” (After ser, you omit it: Soy médico, no article.)
Why is me used before dio, and what does it represent?
Me is the indirect object pronoun meaning “to me.” Spanish requires clitic pronouns (me, te, le, etc.) to appear before a conjugated verb. So me dio = “he/she gave me.”
Why is the adjective pequeña placed after pastilla rather than before it?
Most descriptive adjectives in Spanish follow the noun they modify. Una pastilla pequeña is the normal word order. Placing the adjective before (una pequeña pastilla) is grammatically correct but less common and can add a poetic or stylistic feel.
Why is pastilla feminine, and how does that affect una and pequeña?
Pastilla ends in –a, making it a feminine noun. Its article and adjective must agree in gender and number: una (feminine singular) and pequeña (feminine singular).
Why is para used before el dolor, and could por be used instead?
Para indicates purpose: “a pill for the pain.” Using por (por el dolor) would mean “because of the pain,” which changes the meaning. Here you want to express the pill’s intended use.
Why is el dolor preceded by the definite article el?
Abstract or general nouns like dolor often take a definite article in Spanish when you refer to them specifically: para el dolor = “for the pain.” Omitting the article (para dolor) sounds unnatural.
Why is the verb dio in the preterite tense?
Dio is the preterite form of dar, used for completed past actions. Since the doctor gave the pill at a specific time (today), the preterite is appropriate: Hoy el médico me dio… marks a one-time event.