Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): El profesor sabio escribe cada pensamiento en una carpeta amarilla para la próxima clase. - The wise teacher writes every thought in a yellow folder for the next class.

In Spanish descriptive adjectives usually follow the noun. So profesor sabio (“professor wise”) is the normal word order. Placing sabio before profesor (i.e., sabio profesor) would sound like a poetic or stylistic inversion, not everyday usage.

Why is cada followed by a singular noun pensamiento and not the plural pensamientos?

Cada means “each” and always takes a singular noun (e.g., cada día, cada persona). You use pensamiento (singular) because you’re referring to each individual thought one by one.

Could you say todos los pensamientos instead of cada pensamiento?

Yes, todos los pensamientos means “all the thoughts” collectively. But cada pensamiento emphasizes each separate thought. The choice changes the nuance from “each one” to “all of them together.”

Why is the phrase una carpeta amarilla and not una amarilla carpeta?

In Spanish, most color adjectives follow the noun: carpeta amarilla. Putting amarilla before carpeta sounds unusual or poetic. Standard order is noun + adjective for simple descriptions.

Why do we use en before una carpeta amarilla?

The verb escribir often takes en to indicate where something is written (e.g., escribir en un papel, escribir en la pizarra). Here it means “writes in a folder.”

Why do we use para rather than por in para la próxima clase?

Para indicates purpose, deadline, or intended use (“for the next class”). Por would express cause, duration, or exchange, which doesn’t match the idea of preparing something by a certain time.

Is the article la necessary in para la próxima clase? Could we drop it?

Yes. In Spanish you generally need the definite article before singular, countable nouns when specifying them. Para próxima clase (without la) sounds ungrammatical.

Why does próxima carry an accent mark?

Spanish words ending in a vowel normally stress the penultimate syllable. Próxima is stressed on the antepenultimate (PRÓ-xi-ma), so you need an accent on the ó to show this irregular stress.

What tense and person is escribe? Why not escriba or escribió?

Escribe is the third-person singular present indicative of escribir, meaning “he/she writes.” Escriba would be subjunctive or a formal command (“write!”), and escribió is preterite (“he/she wrote”).

What does carpeta mean here? Could it be a notebook or binder?

In Latin American Spanish, carpeta usually means a folder or file folder (the kind you slip loose papers into). A binder is more precisely carpeta de argollas or anillero, and a notebook is cuaderno.