El puente gigante cruza el río.

to cross

Breakdown of El puente gigante cruza el río.

• el río: the river
• el puente: the bridge
• gigante: giant

Questions & Answers about El puente gigante cruza el río.

Why is there a definite article el before puente when in English we often say “giant bridge” without “the”?

In Spanish, singular countable nouns normally require an article (definite or indefinite) when they function as subjects or objects. Here, el puente means “the bridge,” pointing to a specific or known bridge. In English you might drop “the” in headlines or poetic speech, but Spanish needs that article.

---

Why is the adjective gigante placed after the noun puente instead of before it, as in English “giant bridge”?

The default Spanish word order for descriptive adjectives is noun + adjective. So you normally say puente gigante rather than gigante puente. Placing an adjective before the noun can add emphasis or a poetic tone, but for most neutral descriptions you keep it after.

---

Why is cruza in the present tense here, rather than a progressive form like “is crossing”?

Spanish uses the simple present tense to express:
• habitual actions (“El autobús cruza el río todos los días”)
• general truths or facts (“El puente cruza el río”).
The present progressive (está cruzando) is reserved for actions happening right at this moment and feels more immediate.

---

Why isn’t there a preposition (like “a” or “sobre”) before el río? In English we say “crosses the river,” but Spanish sometimes uses prepositions differently.