Breakdown of El viento del sur es más cálido que el del oeste.
ser
to be
de
of
más
more
el
the
del
of
el viento
the wind
que
than
el sur
the south
cálido
warm
el oeste
the west
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Questions & Answers about El viento del sur es más cálido que el del oeste.
Why is del used instead of de el in “viento del sur”?
In Spanish, del is the correct contraction of de + el, so you say viento del sur rather than viento de el sur. It literally means “wind of the south,” but contracted.
Why is there an el before viento in “El viento del sur”?
Spanish often uses the definite article with general statements or natural phenomena. Saying El viento del sur (“The south wind”) treats “wind” as a specific, known thing, not just any wind.
Why is the second viento omitted in “es más cálido que el del oeste”?
Spanish allows you to drop a repeated noun in a comparison. You keep the article (el) plus the modifying phrase (del oeste) to mean “the one from the west.” The full version would be que el viento del oeste, but it’s more concise as que el del oeste.
What’s the difference between cálido and caliente?
Cálido describes something pleasantly warm or mild (like a warm wind or climate). Caliente means hot (often very warm, sometimes uncomfortably so). A south wind is typically más cálido (warmer) rather than más caliente.
How do you form a comparison like “más cálido que _” in Spanish?
The pattern is más + adjective + que. Here, más cálido (“warmer”) + que (“than”) + reference (el del oeste). For less, use menos + adjective + que.
Why does cálido end in –o?
Adjectives in Spanish must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Viento is masculine singular, so you use the masculine singular form cálido (not cálida, which would be feminine).
What part of speech is que in this sentence?
Here, que is a conjunction used in comparisons, functioning like the English word “than.”
What part of speech is más in this sentence?
In this context, más is an adverb modifying the adjective cálido, meaning “more.”
Why aren’t sur and oeste capitalized?
In Spanish, cardinal directions (norte, sur, este, oeste) are common nouns, not proper nouns, so they are written in lowercase.
Could you say “El viento del sur es más cálido que el viento del oeste” instead?
Yes. That’s the expanded form without ellipsis. It’s perfectly correct but less concise because it repeats viento. Both sentences convey the same meaning.