Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): ¿Ves esa nube? La nube parece una piedra gigante. - Do you see that cloud? The cloud looks like a giant stone.

Ves is the second-person singular present tense of the verb ver (“to see”), so it means “you see.” It’s spelled v-e-s. In contrast, vez (with z) is a noun meaning “time” or “instance” (as in una vez, “one time”).

Why don’t we say ves a esa nube? Shouldn't we use “a” before a direct object?

The “personal a” in Spanish is used only with animate direct objects (people, pets). Since nube (cloud) is inanimate, you omit the “a.”

Why is esa used instead of esta or aquella?

Spanish demonstratives mark distance:

esta “this” (very close to the speaker)
esa “that” (a bit farther away)
aquella “that over there” (far from both speaker and listener)
You use esa because the cloud is neither right next to you nor extremely far off.

How do we know nube is feminine?

Spanish nouns ending in -e can be masculine or feminine, so you have to learn each one’s gender. Nube is feminine—evident because it uses la nube, esa nube, etc.

Why is La capitalized at the start of the second sentence?

As in English, Spanish capitalizes the first letter of a new sentence. Here the second sentence begins with La, so it’s capitalized.

Could we say ¿Ves esa nube? Parece una piedra gigante. instead of repeating La nube?

Yes. Spanish often omits a repeated subject when it’s clear from context. ¿Ves esa nube? Parece una piedra gigante. is perfectly natural.

What does parecer mean here, and why is it conjugated as parece?

Parecer means “to seem” or “to look (like).” Parece is the third-person singular present (“it seems” / “it looks”), matching the subject la nube (“the cloud”).

Why is gigante the same for masculine and feminine?

Adjectives ending in -e (and many that end in consonants) don’t change gender in Spanish. Gigante remains gigante for both masculine and feminine singular; only the plural adds -s (gigantes).

Why does Spanish use an inverted question mark ¿ at the beginning?

Spanish orthography requires ¿ at the start and ? at the end of every question, so readers know from the first word that it’s a question.

Why is there no subject pronoun tú before ves?

Spanish typically drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already indicates the subject. Ves clearly means “you see,” so adding tú would be redundant unless you want extra emphasis.

Can you combine these into one sentence like ¿Ves esa nube que parece una piedra gigante??

Yes, that’s grammatically correct. ¿Ves esa nube que parece una piedra gigante? uses a relative clause (que parece…) and is perfectly valid, though it can sound slightly more formal or complex than two short sentences.