Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Las sábanas nuevas son moradas y combinan con mi colchón gris. - The new sheets are purple and match my gray mattress.

In Spanish, words ending in a vowel, -n or -s are normally stressed on the penultimate syllable. Here the stress falls on the antepenultimate (the first syllable: SA-ba-nas), so you add an acute accent on the á to mark that shift.

Why does colchón have an accent on the o?

Colchón ends in -n, so without an accent it would be stressed on the penultimate syllable (col-CHON). But we need the stress on the last syllable (col-CHÓN). Because that conflicts with the default rule, we write an accent on the ó.

Why is son (from ser) used for color instead of están (from estar)?

Color is viewed as an inherent or defining characteristic, so Spanish uses ser. You’d use estar for temporary states or conditions (mood, location, result of an action), but color typically stays with ser.

Why isn’t there an accent on mi in mi colchón like there is on mí?

Without an accent, mi is the possessive adjective meaning “my.” With an accent (mí) it’s the prepositional pronoun “me.” Here we need “my mattress,” so it’s unaccented mi.

Why is nuevas placed after sábanas, and could I say nuevas sábanas instead?

Many descriptive adjectives—especially those of age, color, shape—follow the noun in Spanish. You can also say nuevas sábanas, but putting nuevo before often adds a stylistic or nuanced meaning (e.g. emphasizing “brand-new sheets”). Sábanas nuevas is the neutral, default order.

Why are nuevas, moradas and gris all plural or feminine/plural?

Spanish adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Sábanas is feminine plural, so nuevas (new) and moradas (purple) both take the feminine-plural ending -as. Colchón is masculine singular, so gris stays in the singular form (it’s invariable for gender but matches in number).

Why do we say combinan con mi colchón gris? Could we use a different verb or preposition?

In Spanish, combinar means “to match” or “to coordinate,” and it conventionally takes con to indicate what two things go well together. You could also say: • hacen juego con
• van bien con
• coinciden con
All of these are common ways to express that two items “match.”

Can I use other words for “purple,” like púrpura or violeta, instead of moradas?

Yes. Morado/a is the most common everyday term for purple. Púrpura and violeta also mean purple and are equally correct—violeta often evokes the flower or a lighter shade, while púrpura can suggest a deeper, richer tone. You’d still make them agree in gender/number (e.g., las sábanas violetas).

Why isn’t there a definite article before colchón (like mi el colchón)?

Spanish does not allow two determiners in a row. A possessive adjective like mi already functions as the determiner, so you don’t add el afterward.