Breakdown of La cantante se acerca al micrófono y saluda al público con una sonrisa.
Questions & Answers about La cantante se acerca al micrófono y saluda al público con una sonrisa.
Cantante is one of those nouns that has the same form for both masculine and feminine. The gender is shown by the article (and sometimes by adjectives), not by changing the noun itself.
- la cantante = the (female) singer
- el cantante = the (male) singer
There is a word cantora, but it’s much less common and tends to feel more literary or regional. In everyday Latin American Spanish, cantante is standard for both men and women.
In Spanish, a specific person who has a role or profession is usually introduced with a definite article: la cantante, el doctor, la profesora, etc.
Saying Cantante se acerca al micrófono without la sounds very odd and ungrammatical in normal speech. You only drop the article in special cases, like titles or labels: Cantante: Shakira on a poster, but in a sentence you’d say La cantante se acerca…
Yes, se is a reflexive pronoun here, and acercarse is used as a reflexive verb meaning “to move closer / to approach.”
- acercar (non‑reflexive) = to bring something closer
- acercarse (reflexive) = to get closer oneself / to approach
In La cantante se acerca al micrófono, the subject (the singer) is moving herself closer to the microphone, so Spanish uses the reflexive form se acerca.
Without se, acerca normally means “brings [something] closer” and needs a direct object:
- Ella acerca la silla a la mesa. = She brings the chair closer to the table.
With se, se acerca means “(she) comes closer” or “approaches,” and the subject is the one moving:
- Ella se acerca a la mesa. = She approaches the table / She comes closer to the table.
So se changes the meaning from “move something” to “move oneself.”
Yes. With the meaning “to approach / move closer,” acercarse is followed by a to introduce what you’re getting close to:
- Se acerca al micrófono.
- Se acerca a la puerta.
- Se acerca a ellos.
Think of acercarse a as a fixed pattern: “to approach to/toward X.” You wouldn’t normally drop the a here.
Al is simply the contraction of a + el. Spanish always contracts a el into al (and de el into del) when el is the masculine singular article.
So:
- a + el micrófono → al micrófono
You cannot say a el micrófono in standard Spanish; it always becomes al micrófono.
Yes, micrófono is masculine, which is why we see el micrófono → al micrófono.
There isn’t a perfect rule, but many nouns ending in -o are masculine (though there are exceptions like la mano). New vocabulary like el teléfono, el vídeo, el micrófono is typically masculine. You mostly learn the gender with the noun, but the article in examples (el, la) tells you which it is.
Spanish uses the simple present much more often than English does, especially for actions happening right now or in a narrative.
- La cantante se acerca al micrófono… can mean “The singer is approaching the microphone…” in context.
You only need está acercándose / se está acercando when you really want to emphasize the ongoing, progressive nature of the action. In a neutral description like this, the simple present is the most natural choice.
Yes, it’s grammatically correct:
- La cantante se está acercando al micrófono y está saludando al público.
This version emphasizes that the actions are in progress right now, like a live commentary. However, in written descriptions or neutral narration, native speakers usually prefer the simpler se acerca and saluda.
When the direct object is a person or group of people, Spanish normally uses the personal a before it. Here, público means an audience (people), so you need a:
- saluda al público = greets the audience
(a + el público → al público)
Saying saluda el público sounds wrong in this meaning; it would be interpreted as “the audience greets” (audience = subject) rather than “she greets the audience.”
Público can mean both, depending on context:
The audience (a specific group watching something):
- El público aplaude. = The audience applauds.
The public / general public:
- el público en general = the general public
It can also be an adjective meaning public:
- un lugar público = a public place
In your sentence, al público clearly means the audience.
Saludar means to greet, and it can include words, gestures, a nod, a smile, waving, etc. It’s a general verb for greeting.
- saludar al público = to greet the audience (maybe by saying hello, waving, smiling, etc.)
Decir hola literally means “to say hi/hello.” It only refers to the words. In many situations, saludar is more natural and broader in meaning than decir hola.
In Spanish, singular countable nouns almost always need an article (un/una, el/la) unless they’re in certain special structures. Sonrisa is a countable noun, so you normally say:
- con una sonrisa = with a smile
Con sonrisa sounds incomplete or very unusual. The una here just means “a” in the vague sense (not one specific, numbered smile, just “a smile” on her face).
Yes, both are fine and very natural:
- …saluda al público con una sonrisa.
- …saluda al público sonriendo.
Con una sonrisa literally describes the smile as an accompanying thing or manner (“with a smile”).
Sonriendo is a gerund, so it emphasizes the action of smiling while greeting (“greeting the audience, smiling”). The meaning is almost the same; it’s just a stylistic choice.
Yes, that word order is grammatically correct, but it slightly changes the sequence of actions.
- Original: Se acerca al micrófono y saluda… = First she approaches the mic, then she greets.
- Your version: Saluda… y se acerca… = First she greets, then she approaches.
Spanish word order is fairly flexible, but the order of clauses usually follows the order of actions unless context suggests otherwise.
Yes, you can:
- La cantante va hacia el micrófono = The singer goes toward the microphone.
Ir hacia focuses on the direction (she goes in the direction of the mic).
Acercarse a focuses more on the idea of getting closer / reducing the distance. In many contexts they overlap, but se acerca suggests the closeness itself a bit more.
They come from the same root acercar (to bring near), but they’re used differently.
- acercarse a algo = to approach something (physically or figuratively)
- acerca de algo = about / concerning something
You can think of acerca de as “in relation to / near the topic of,” but in practice you just memorize it as “about.” In your sentence, it’s the verb acercarse, not acerca de.
No. La cantante acerca al micrófono is incomplete and ungrammatical. Without se, acercar needs a direct object (what she’s moving closer):
- La cantante acerca el micrófono a su boca. = She brings the microphone closer to her mouth.
To say that she herself moves closer to the microphone, you must use the reflexive form:
- La cantante se acerca al micrófono. ✅
You would use the direct object pronoun los (masculine plural, for “them” = the people in the audience):
- La cantante se acerca al micrófono y los saluda con una sonrisa. = The singer approaches the microphone and greets them with a smile.
Here, los refers back to el público (a group of people). Spanish often allows both forms, with or without repeating the noun, depending on clarity and style.