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Questions & Answers about El verano es cálido.
Why is the definite article el used before verano?
In Spanish, when you talk about seasons as general concepts, you usually use the definite article. So el verano means “the summer” in a general sense. Without the article, “Verano es cálido” would sound unnatural. (You can omit the article if you use a preposition, e.g., en verano = “in summer.”)
Why do we use ser (es) instead of estar (está) in El verano es cálido?
Ser is used for inherent or defining characteristics. Since the warmth of summer is a general, lasting quality, you use ser. Estar is for temporary states or locations (e.g., El día está cálido could work if you emphasize today’s weather as a temporary condition).
Why is the adjective cálido placed after the noun verano?
The typical word order in Spanish is noun + adjective. So verano (noun) comes first, then cálido (adjective). Placing the adjective before the noun (e.g., cálido verano) is possible but often adds a poetic or emphatic tone.
What’s the difference between cálido, caliente, and caluroso?
They all relate to heat but differ in nuance:
- Cálido: pleasantly warm, mild heat.
- Caliente: hot to the touch or very high temperature; can be uncomfortably hot.
- Caluroso: often used for weather/climate; means “hot” in terms of ambient conditions.
For a general mild warmth, cálido fits; for a really hot summer, you’d likely say verano caluroso.
Why does cálido have an accent on the first “a”?
Cálido is a proparoxytone (esdrújula) word: the stress naturally falls on the third-to-last syllable (CÁ-li-do). Spanish rules require a written accent on all proparoxytone words.
Why is verano not capitalized?
In Spanish, seasons (and months) are common nouns and are not capitalized unless they start a sentence or are part of a proper noun. So you write el verano.
Can I say un verano cálido instead of el verano es cálido?
Yes. If you want to talk about “a warm summer” in a particular context, you use the indefinite article: un verano cálido. However, El verano es cálido makes a general statement about all summers.