Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): En el primer capítulo del libro, subrayé una frase muy útil. - In the first chapter of the book, I underlined a very useful phrase.

It’s first-person singular preterite of subrayar (“I underlined”), used for a single, completed action in the past. In Latin America, the preterite is the default for past events, even very recent ones.

Why does subrayé have an accent? What would subraye mean?

The accent marks the stress (sub-ra-YÉ) and signals the preterite “I underlined.” Without the accent, subraye is present subjunctive or usted imperative: que yo/él/ella subraye (“that I/he/she underline”) or Subraye la frase (“Please underline the sentence”).

Could I say he subrayado instead of subrayé?

You can, but nuance and regional preference differ. He subrayado (present perfect) highlights present relevance. In Spain it’s common even for “today.” In Latin America, people typically use subrayé if the action is completed, even if recent.

What about subrayaba?

Subrayaba is the imperfect (“I was underlining” / “I used to underline”), used for ongoing, habitual, or background past actions. For a one-time, completed act, stick with subrayé.

Why primer capítulo and not primero capítulo?

Apocope: primero shortens to primer before a masculine singular noun. So it’s primer capítulo. The same happens with tercero → tercer.

How does it change with feminine or plural nouns?

Feminine: no apocope → primera página, tercera edición.
Plural: primeros capítulos, primeras páginas.
When the noun is omitted, use the full form: El primero es corto.

Why use en and not a or al?

En expresses location (“in/inside”). A/al expresses direction (“to/toward”). En el primer capítulo = “in the first chapter,” not “to the first chapter.”

What does del mean here, and why not de el?

Del is the mandatory contraction of de + el. De can mean “of/from”; here it marks possession/part-whole: the chapter is part of the book.

Is the comma after libro necessary?

It’s optional but recommended. Spanish often sets off a longer introductory phrase with a comma: En el primer capítulo del libro, … Without the comma is also acceptable.

Why una frase and not un frase?

Frase is feminine, so the article is una. Many -e nouns are arbitrary in gender; frase happens to be feminine and must be memorized.

What’s the difference between frase, oración, cita, and línea?

frase: a phrase or saying; any chunk of words (not necessarily a full sentence).
oración: a full grammatical sentence.
cita: a quotation.
línea: a line of text (line-break to line-break).

Can I say una muy útil frase?

That sounds unnatural. Descriptive adjectives normally follow the noun, and with muy they virtually always do: una frase muy útil. Pre-nominal placement is limited and often changes nuance.

Does útil agree with gender? How do I make it plural, and why the accent?

Gender: invariant → frase útil, herramienta útil.
Plural: útiles.
Accent: words ending in a consonant (other than -n or -s) are stressed on the last syllable by default; útil is stressed on the first, so it needs the accent.

Is resalté the same as subrayé? What about marqué or destacar?

subrayé: I underlined (with a line).
resalté: I highlighted (often with a highlighter) or emphasized.
marqué: I marked (very general).
destacar: to emphasize/stand out (not a physical marking verb).
In Latin America, resaltar is common for using a highlighter; subrayar is specifically underlining.

Can I move the location phrase to the end?

Yes: Subrayé una frase muy útil en el primer capítulo del libro. Spanish freely moves adverbial phrases. Initial position frames context; final position is also very natural.

Can I say en el capítulo uno instead of en el primer capítulo?

Yes. Using the cardinal (capítulo uno) is common and clear. Ordinals are standard up to décimo; after that, cardinals are preferred.

Why are capítulo and libro lowercase?

They’re common nouns. Spanish capitalizes fewer words than English. Book titles usually capitalize only the first word and proper names.

Any quick pronunciation tips for tricky words here?

capítulo: stress on the accented -pí- (ca-PÍ-tu-lo).
subrayé: stress the final -yé; the y is like English “y” in “yes.”
frase: tap the single r; s is [s] in Latin America.
útil: stress the ú; final l is clear.
b/v sound the same in Spanish (both are bilabial).