La poeta lee su poema en voz alta.

The poet reads her poem out loud.

Breakdown of La poeta lee su poema en voz alta.

• leer: to read
• su: her
• en voz alta: out loud
• el poema: the poem
• la poeta: the poet

Questions & Answers about La poeta lee su poema en voz alta.

Why is it la poeta and not el poeta here?

In Spanish, the noun poeta can refer to a man or a woman; its gender is shown by the article, not by changing the ending:

• el poeta = the (male) poet
• la poeta = the (female) poet

So in La poeta lee…, the sentence is telling you that the poet is a woman. The noun poeta itself doesn’t change; only the article (and any related adjectives) show the gender.

But I thought the feminine form was poetisa. Is la poeta correct?

Yes, la poeta is fully correct and is actually more common in modern, especially more formal or neutral, Spanish.

• la poetisa exists and you may hear it, but many speakers feel it sounds old‑fashioned, a bit stereotyped, or less neutral.
• la poeta treats poeta as a profession/role word that doesn’t change form, just like la piloto, la juez (or la jueza, depending on country), etc.

In Latin America today, you will encounter both, but la poeta is generally preferred in educated or neutral contexts.

Why does poeta end in -a if it can be masculine too?

Spanish has several nouns whose form doesn’t change with gender; the article decides it. Poeta is one of these:

• el poeta famoso – the famous (male) poet
• la poeta famosa – the famous (female) poet

The ending -a here is part of the base form of the word, not a feminine marker. Other examples of this “common gender” pattern:

• el / la estudiante – the (male / female) student
• el / la artista – the (male / female) artist

So you cannot “fix” the gender by changing poeta to poeto; that form doesn’t exist.

Why is it el poema (masculine) but la poeta (feminine)? They both end in -a.

They’re different types of nouns:

• el poema (masculine) is part of a group of words of Greek origin that end in -ma and are usually masculine:

  • el problema, el programa, el sistema, el tema, el clima, el poema.

• la poeta is a common‑gender occupation/role word. Its gender is shown by the article (el / la), not by changing the ending.

So:

• la poeta = the female poet
• el poeta = the male poet
• el poema = the poem (always masculine: el, un, este poema, etc.)

Why is the verb lee used instead of something like está leyendo?

Both are possible, but they’re used a little differently:

• La poeta lee su poema en voz alta.
  Simple present. In Spanish this often describes an action happening “now” in a neutral, narrative way.
  → “The poet reads her poem out loud.”

• La poeta está leyendo su poema en voz alta.
  Present progressive. This emphasizes the action as ongoing, right at this moment.
  → “The poet is (in the middle of) reading her poem out loud.”

In many contexts where English must use is reading, Spanish is fine with lee. The simple present in Spanish is more flexible than in English.

What exactly does su mean here? Her poem, his poem, their poem, your poem…?

Su is context‑dependent. It can mean:

• his
• her
• its
• their
• your (formal: usted / ustedes)

In this sentence, La poeta lee su poema, we infer her poem because:

1. The subject is la poeta (a woman).
2. The most natural assumption is that the poet is reading her own poem.

But grammatically, su could refer to another person or group mentioned earlier. To make her very explicit, Spanish can also say:

• La poeta lee su propio poema en voz alta. – her own poem
• La poeta lee el poema de ella en voz alta. – the poem of hers / her poem

Could su here ever mean your?

Yes. Su can mean your when you are speaking formally (usted or ustedes). For example:

• Talking to a poet:
  Señora, usted lee su poema en voz alta.
  = Madam, you are reading your poem out loud.

• Talking to several poets formally:
  Ustedes leen su poema en voz alta.
  = You (plural, formal) read your poem out loud.

In your original sentence, without context, a typical interpretation is her poem, but the grammar itself also allows your (formal) or their.

Why isn’t there an a before su poema, like lee a su poema?

Spanish uses the personal a only before direct objects that are specific people (or personified animals/objects), not things.

• Person:
  La poeta saluda a su amigo. – She greets her friend.
• Thing:
  La poeta lee su poema. – She reads her poem.

Since poema is a thing (an object, not a person), you do not add a:
✅ lee su poema
❌ lee a su poema

What does en voz alta literally mean, and how is it used?

Literally, en voz alta = “in a high voice,” but idiomatically it means out loud / aloud.

• La poeta lee su poema en voz alta.
  The poet reads her poem out loud.

It’s a very common fixed expression. The opposite is:

• en voz baja – in a low voice / quietly, in a whisper

Examples:

• Por favor, lee el texto en voz alta. – Please read the text out loud.
• Hablamos en voz baja para no despertar al bebé. – We spoke quietly so as not to wake the baby.

Could I say en alta voz instead of en voz alta?

You can say en alta voz, and it is grammatically correct, but:

• en voz alta is much more common and sounds more natural in everyday speech.
• en alta voz tends to sound more literary or formal, and is less frequent in everyday Latin American Spanish.

For practical purposes as a learner, prefer en voz alta.

Can the word order change, like La poeta lee en voz alta su poema?

Yes, Spanish word order is fairly flexible. You can say:

• La poeta lee su poema en voz alta. (most neutral/natural)
• La poeta lee en voz alta su poema. (also correct; puts a bit more focus on how she reads)

Both are grammatical. The difference is subtle; the first feels more standard. As a learner, using the original order is safest and most natural.

Why is it voz alta and not alta voz?

Spanish usually places adjectives after the noun:

• voz alta – literally “high voice”
• casa grande – big house
• libro interesante – interesting book

In en voz alta, alta is just a normal adjective after the noun voz.

There is an alternative set phrase en alta voz, where alta comes first, but as mentioned earlier it’s less common and more literary. In most contexts people say en voz alta.

What’s the difference between poema and poesía?

• poema = a single poem (a specific text)

  • un poema corto – a short poem
  • el poema es muy emotivo – the poem is very emotional

• poesía can mean:

  1. poetry in general (the literary genre or art):
     
     • Me gusta la poesía. – I like poetry.
  2. sometimes, a poem (especially in colloquial speech), but here poema is more precise.

In your sentence, su poema clearly refers to the specific poem she wrote or is reading, so poema is the right word.