Breakdown of El norte de mi país es más frío que el sur.
ser
to be
mi
my
de
of
más
more
frío
cold
el país
the country
que
than
el sur
the south
el norte
the north
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Questions & Answers about El norte de mi país es más frío que el sur.
Why do we use de in El norte de mi país instead of en?
In this sentence, de functions like the English “of,” indicating possession or origin: “the north of my country.” Using en (“in”) would change the meaning to location: En el norte de mi país means “in the north of my country,” which is about where something happens, not naming the region itself.
What is the difference between el norte de mi país and al norte de mi país?
- El norte de mi país refers to the north region as a noun (the area itself).
- Al norte de mi país (a + el = al) means “to the north of my country” or “north of my country” in a directional or locational sense.
Why is the verb es used instead of está or hace?
- Ser (es) describes an inherent or general characteristic: the north is cold by nature.
- Estar (está) describes temporary states, so Está más frío would imply it’s temporarily colder.
- You can also use hacer for weather: Hace más frío en el norte que en el sur (“It’s colder in the north than in the south”).
How do comparatives work in Spanish, like in más frío que?
To compare two things in Spanish:
• For “more … than,” use más + adjective + que.
• For “less … than,” use menos + adjective + que.
So más frío que literally means “more cold than,” i.e. “colder than.”
Why is frío masculine here? Could it be fría?
Adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify. Norte is masculine singular, so you use the masculine form frío. If you were talking about a feminine noun (e.g. región), you’d say región fría.
Why do we say el sur without repeating de mi país?
Once you’ve specified de mi país after el norte, it applies to both norte and sur. Repeating de mi país for sur is correct but redundant. You keep the article el because sur remains a noun here.
When can cardinal directions omit the definite article in Spanish?
- As nouns: they usually need an article (el norte, el sur).
- As adverbs of place after movement verbs: use a + direction (Voy al norte) or in set expressions/map labels you might see the bare form (Norte, “North”).
How else could I express “The north of my country is colder than the south”?
You can rephrase using hacer + en:
• Hace más frío en el norte que en el sur.
Or emphasize “regions”:
• La región norte de mi país es más fría que la región sur.
How would you make it a superlative, like “the coldest part of my country”?
Use el/la + noun + más + adjective + de. For example:
• El norte de mi país es la parte más fría.
• La región más fría de mi país es el norte.