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La vendedora ofrece un descuento hoy.

La vendedora ofrece un descuento hoy.
The saleswoman offers a discount today.
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Questions & Answers about La vendedora ofrece un descuento hoy.

Why is it la vendedora and not el vendedor?
Because the subject is female. In Spanish, many job titles have masculine and feminine forms. Vendedor (masculine) becomes vendedora (feminine), and the article must agree: el vendedor vs. la vendedora.
If the salesperson is male, how does the sentence change?
Use the masculine forms: El vendedor ofrece un descuento hoy.
Why do we need the article la? Why not just say Vendedora ofrece…?
In Spanish, a singular countable noun used as a subject normally needs a determiner (like el/la/un/una). Dropping it, as in Vendedora ofrece…, sounds wrong. You can drop the article after the verb ser to state someone’s profession: Ella es vendedora.
Why is it un and not una or uno before descuento?
Because descuento is a masculine noun, so it takes un: un descuento. Uno is used when it stands alone (as a pronoun): ¿Quieres uno? And una would go with a feminine noun (e.g., una rebaja).
Can I move hoy to a different position?

Yes. All are natural, with slight differences in emphasis:

  • La vendedora ofrece un descuento hoy. (neutral)
  • Hoy la vendedora ofrece un descuento. (emphasizes “today”)
  • La vendedora hoy ofrece un descuento. (focus on “today” in the middle) You can also say La vendedora ofrece hoy un descuento.
What’s the difference between ofrece and está ofreciendo?
  • Ofrece (simple present) can mean “is offering” right now or “offers” in general; Spanish often uses the simple present for ongoing actions.
  • Está ofreciendo (present progressive) highlights the action as in progress now. Use it if you want to stress the ongoing nature: La vendedora está ofreciendo un descuento hoy.
Can the present tense refer to something later today?
Yes. Spanish often uses the simple present for near-future plans: La vendedora ofrece un descuento hoy can mean it’s scheduled or in effect today.
Why use ofrecer? Could I say dar, hacer, or aplicar?
  • Ofrecer = to offer (make available, not necessarily given yet): La vendedora ofrece un descuento.
  • Dar = to give (actually grant it): La vendedora me da un descuento.
  • Hacer (colloquial) = to give/make a discount: ¿Me puede hacer un descuento?
  • Aplicar (store/administrative) = to apply a discount: La tienda aplica un 10% de descuento.
How do I say “She offers me/us/you/him a discount today”?

Add an indirect object pronoun:

  • Me ofrece un descuento hoy. (me)
  • Nos ofrece un descuento hoy. (us)
  • Te ofrece un descuento hoy. (you, informal)
  • Le ofrece un descuento hoy. (him/her/you formal)
  • Les ofrece un descuento hoy. (them/you plural)
How do I say “a 10% discount” or “a discount on shoes”?
  • Percentage: un descuento del 10%, un 10% de descuento, or un descuento de un 10%.
  • On an item/category: un descuento en zapatos or un descuento del 10% en zapatos.
How can I express this impersonally, like “A discount is offered today”?
  • Se ofrece un descuento hoy.
  • Very common alternative: Hoy hay descuento / Hoy hay descuentos.
How do I make it plural?
  • Multiple saleswomen: Las vendedoras ofrecen un descuento hoy.
  • If there are multiple discounts: Las vendedoras ofrecen descuentos hoy.
  • For men/mixed group: Los vendedores ofrecen (un) descuento(s) hoy.
Any pronunciation tips?
  • In Latin America, v sounds like a soft b: vendedora ≈ ben-de-DO-ra.
  • The h in hoy is silent.
  • In ofrece, c before e sounds like s: o-FRE-se.
  • z in ofrezco also sounds like s in most of Latin America.
  • Between vowels, d softens: vendedora.
  • Stress: la ven-de-DO-ra, o-FRE-ce, des-CUEN-to.
Is ofrecer irregular?

Slightly. In the present tense, only the first person singular changes to yo ofrezco (c → cz). The form here, ofrece (3rd person singular), is regular. A few useful forms:

  • Presente: ofrezco, ofreces, ofrece, ofrecemos, ofrecen
  • Pretérito: ofrecí, ofreciste, ofreció, ofrecimos, ofrecieron
Does hoy mean “today” or “nowadays”? What about hoy en día and el día de hoy?
  • Hoy = today (the current day).
  • Hoy en día (and in some regions hoy día) = nowadays.
  • El día de hoy = “today” but more formal/bureaucratic; common in parts of Latin America.
  • Ahora = now (this moment).
Do I need the personal a with people anywhere here?

Not in the base sentence, because the direct object is un descuento (a thing). If you mention the recipient, use a and usually keep the indirect object pronoun:

  • Le ofrece un descuento a María.
  • Les ofrece un descuento a los estudiantes.
Are there regional alternatives for vendedora or for talking about discounts?
  • Job title: vendedora is widely used in Latin America. In Spain, dependienta is common. You may also hear asesora de ventas, promotora, or empleada depending on the store.
  • Discount words: descuento is standard; rebaja (markdown) and oferta/promoción (sale/promo) are also very common: Hay rebajas, Estamos en promoción.