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Questions & Answers about La hoja flota en el agua.
Why does the sentence start with la before hoja?
La is the definite article meaning the. In Spanish, most singular, countable nouns require an article. Hoja is feminine singular, so we use la.
Why is it el agua instead of la agua?
Although agua is a feminine noun, Spanish uses el (instead of la) when a singular feminine noun begins with a stressed /a/–sound. It’s still feminine, so any adjective would be feminine: el agua fría.
What does flota mean and why that form?
Flota is the third-person singular present indicative of the regular -ar verb flotar (to float). It means (it) floats or (it) is floating.
Could I say La hoja está flotando en el agua instead?
Yes. That uses the present progressive (está flotando) to emphasize the ongoing action. The simple present (flota) is also natural in Spanish for current actions.
Why is the preposition en used here instead of sobre?
Spanish often uses en to express both “in” and “on” depending on context. La hoja flota en el agua implies it’s floating on or within the water’s surface. Sobre el agua would stress “on top of the water” more explicitly but isn’t wrong.
Could we drop the article and say La hoja flota en agua?
No. Unlike English, Spanish usually requires the definite article before general or mass nouns (especially with en) to talk about “the water” in a general sense.
How do you pronounce hoja?
The h is silent, and the j is pronounced like a soft /h/ in Latin American Spanish (e.g. /ˈo.ha/).
Are there other meanings for hoja?
Yes. In addition to a plant leaf, hoja can mean a sheet of paper or a blade (e.g. la hoja de una navaja is the blade of a knife).
Why use the present tense flota when English might say “is floating”?
Spanish often uses the simple present to describe actions happening now. The context makes it clear that it’s a current event, so flota covers both “floats” and “is floating.”
What parts of speech are in La hoja flota en el agua?
- La: definite article
- hoja: noun
- flota: verb (3rd person singular)
- en: preposition
- el: definite article
- agua: noun