Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): El valle es muy bonito en primavera.

valle (valley) is a masculine noun, so it takes the masculine article el.
If it were feminine, it would use la, but valle is always masculine: el valle, los valles.

You can see the gender in how adjectives agree: el valle bonito (masc.), but la montaña bonita (fem.).

Why is it bonito and not bonita?

Adjectives in Spanish agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.

valle is masculine singular → the adjective must be masculine singular: bonito.
If the noun were feminine singular, you would say bonita:
- la ciudad bonita (the pretty city)
- la playa bonita (the pretty beach)

Plural examples:

los valles bonitos (the pretty valleys)
las montañas bonitas (the pretty mountains)

What’s the difference between es muy bonito and está muy bonito?

Both are possible, but they emphasize different things.

es muy bonito (with ser) → describes a general, inherent characteristic.
- El valle es muy bonito en primavera.
  The valley is generally very pretty in spring every year.
está muy bonito (with estar) → suggests a temporary or current state.
- El valle está muy bonito esta primavera.
  This particular spring, the valley happens to look very pretty (maybe because of extra flowers, recent rain, etc.).

In the original sentence, es fits well because we’re talking about a typical, recurring situation.

Could I say El valle está muy bonito en primavera?

Yes, it’s grammatically correct, but the nuance changes:

es muy bonito en primavera → more like “It is (by nature) very pretty in spring (as a rule).”
está muy bonito en primavera → sounds more like describing how it looks during springtime, as a kind of seasonal state. It’s still regularly true, but you’re focusing on how it appears then, not its timeless essence.

Both might be used in real speech; es is more neutral/general here.

Why is the adverb muy before the adjective (muy bonito) and not after it?

In Spanish, the normal word order is:

[verb] + [adverb] + [adjective]

So:

es muy bonito is correct.
es bonito muy is incorrect.

Common patterns:

es muy alto (he is very tall)
es demasiado caro (it is too expensive)
es bastante grande (it is quite big)

Adverbs like muy, bastante, demasiado, tan almost always go before the adjective or another adverb.

What does bonito really mean here: pretty, beautiful, or nice?

bonito is a fairly flexible word, and the exact feel depends on context and region:

Often translates as pretty or beautiful when talking about landscapes, places, or objects.
Can also mean nice (visually pleasant):
- un lugar bonito → a nice/pretty place

Rough comparison:

bonito – pretty/nice-looking, quite common and neutral.
hermoso / bello – more literary or stronger, like beautiful.
lindo – very common in much of Latin America, also “pretty / cute / lovely”.

So El valle es muy bonito is naturally “The valley is very pretty/beautiful.”

Why is it en primavera and not en la primavera?

Both forms exist and are correct:

en primavera – very common, especially in everyday speech, to talk about seasons in general.
en la primavera – also correct; can sound a bit more specific or formal, like “in the springtime” as a defined period.

In practice, Spanish speakers very often drop the article after en with seasons:

en primavera / en verano / en otoño / en invierno

So El valle es muy bonito en primavera is very natural and standard.

Could I say durante la primavera instead of en primavera?

Yes:

en primavera → “in spring,” more general.
durante la primavera → “during (the) spring,” emphasizing the whole period.

Examples:

El valle es muy bonito en primavera.
The valley is very pretty in (the) spring.
El valle está verde durante la primavera.
The valley is green during the spring (throughout that season).

Both are fine; the choice is about nuance, not grammar.

Why is primavera not capitalized like Spring in English?

In Spanish, the names of seasons are written with lowercase letters:

primavera – spring
verano – summer
otoño – autumn/fall
invierno – winter

So El valle es muy bonito en primavera is correctly written with primavera in lowercase, even though in English you might write Spring with a capital S in some contexts.

Can I just say Es muy bonito en primavera without El valle?

Yes, if the context already makes it clear what you’re talking about.

If you have just mentioned the valley:
- Este valle… Es muy bonito en primavera.
  This valley… It is very pretty in spring.

Spanish often drops the subject when it’s understood from context. But if you’re starting a new sentence with no context, El valle es muy bonito en primavera is clearer.

How do you pronounce valle in Latin American Spanish?

Key points:

v in Spanish is pronounced like a soft b:
- valle → approximately [BA-ye].
ll is usually pronounced like the English y in yes in much of Latin America (a phenomenon called yeísmo):
- valle → /ˈba.je/

In some regions (e.g., parts of Argentina and Uruguay), ll may sound more like the s in measure or sh in she, but the most common Latin American pronunciation you can aim for is:

BA-ye (stress on the first syllable).

How would I say “The valleys are very pretty in spring”?

You’d make both the noun and the adjective plural:

El valle es muy bonito en primavera.
→ Los valles son muy bonitos en primavera.

Changes:

el valle → los valles (add -s for the plural)
es → son (3rd person singular → plural of ser)
bonito → bonitos (adjective matches plural masculine noun)

Can I leave out muy and just say El valle es bonito en primavera?

Yes, that’s perfectly correct:

El valle es bonito en primavera. → The valley is pretty in spring.
El valle es muy bonito en primavera. → The valley is very pretty in spring.

muy simply intensifies the adjective. Other common intensifiers:

bastante bonito – quite/pretty (rather) pretty
realmente muy bonito – really very pretty
tan bonito – so pretty

All follow the same pattern: [es] + [adverb] + [adjective].