La terminal marítima está cerca del muelle.

Spanish usually uses estar for location, so está cerca del muelle means is near the pier/dock.

A useful rule:

• ser = identity, definition, what something is
• estar = location, condition, how something is

So:

• La terminal marítima es grande = The ferry/cruise terminal is big.
• La terminal marítima está cerca del muelle = The terminal is near the dock.

Even for permanent-looking locations, Spanish normally uses estar:

• Madrid está en España
• El hotel está al lado de la estación

Because cerca is normally followed by de.

So the full structure is:

• cerca de + noun

That gives:

• cerca de el muelle

Then de + el contracts to del:

• cerca del muelle

More examples:

• cerca de la playa
• cerca del puerto
• cerca de los restaurantes

So cerca el muelle is not correct here.

Del is the contraction of de + el.

So:

• de el muelle → del muelle

This contraction is required in standard Spanish.

Compare:

• del = de + el
• al = a + el

Examples:

• Voy al puerto = I’m going to the port.
• Está cerca del puerto = It is near the port.

Important exception: If the article is part of a proper name, you usually do not contract:

• de El Escorial (not del Escorial when referring to the place name as such)

Yes, in this sentence terminal is a feminine noun, so it takes:

• the feminine article la
• the feminine adjective marítima

That is why you get:

• la terminal marítima

Adjectives must agree with the noun in gender and number:

• la terminal marítima
• las terminales marítimas

Even though terminal ends in -l, it can still be feminine. Spanish noun gender does not always depend on the final letter.

Because adjectives in Spanish usually agree with the noun they describe.

Here:

• terminal is feminine singular
• so the adjective must also be feminine singular: marítima

Compare:

• el puerto marítimo
• la terminal marítima
• los servicios marítimos
• las rutas marítimas

So the ending changes to match the noun.

It can mean several related things depending on context, including pier, dock, quay, or wharf.

In transport or port contexts, muelle usually refers to the structure where ships stop for loading, unloading, or boarding.

A few notes:

• In everyday use, the best English translation depends on the exact situation.
• In another completely different context, muelle can also mean spring or coil spring in mechanics.

So here, because the sentence is about a terminal marítima, muelle clearly refers to the port structure, not a mechanical spring.

Yes. Depending on context, terminal marítima could be:

• maritime terminal
• ferry terminal
• port terminal
• passenger terminal at a port

Spanish often uses broader terms than English, so the most natural English translation depends on what kind of terminal it is.

For example:

• If ferries leave from there, ferry terminal may sound best.
• If it handles ships or port traffic more generally, maritime terminal or port terminal may be better.

The accent marks show which syllable is stressed.

• marítima is stressed on rí: ma-RÍ-ti-ma
• está is stressed on the last syllable: es-TÁ

These written accents are important because they help with pronunciation and sometimes distinguish words:

• esta = this
• está = is

So the accent in está changes both pronunciation and meaning.

A Spain Spanish pronunciation would be approximately:

La tehr-mee-NAL ma-REE-tee-ma es-TA CER-ka del MWE-lle

A few useful pronunciation points for Spain:

• z and soft c are pronounced like the th in think
• But in cerca, that first c is before e, so in much of Spain it sounds like THER-ka
• ll in muelle is usually pronounced like y in many modern accents, though exact pronunciation varies
• The stress falls on:
  • termiNAL
  • maRÍtima
  • esTÁ
  • CERca
  • MUElle

A more Spain-specific approximation would be: La tehr-mee-NAL ma-REE-tee-ma es-TA THER-ka del MWE-ye

Normally, no. In standard Spanish, you would usually keep the article:

• La terminal marítima está cerca del muelle.

Spanish uses definite articles more often than English does. With specific places or buildings, the article is usually needed.

Without the article, it sounds incomplete in normal prose unless you are using a special style, such as:

• headlines
• signs
• notes
• very telegraphic language

So for ordinary speech and writing, la is the correct choice.

Yes, Spanish gives you several natural alternatives.

Similar expressions include:

• La terminal marítima está cerca del muelle.
• La terminal marítima está próxima al muelle.
• La terminal marítima está junto al muelle. = right next to the pier/dock
• La terminal marítima está al lado del muelle. = beside the pier/dock

But the meaning changes slightly:

• cerca de = near
• próxima a = near / close to, a bit more formal
• junto a = right next to
• al lado de = beside / next to

So cerca del muelle is a good neutral everyday option.

The structure is:

La terminal marítima + está + cerca del muelle

So:

1. Subject: La terminal marítima
2. Verb: está
3. Location expression: cerca del muelle

This is a very common Spanish pattern:

• [place/person/thing] + está + location

Examples:

• El hotel está en el centro.
• La estación está cerca del aeropuerto.
• La taquilla está junto a la entrada.

It is a useful pattern for describing where things are.

Usually, yes. In Spanish, most descriptive adjectives come after the noun, especially in straightforward factual descriptions.

So:

• la terminal marítima
• el transporte marítimo
• la zona portuaria

Putting the adjective before the noun is much less common here and would sound unusual or literary in this context.

For learners, the safest pattern is:

• noun + adjective

So terminal marítima is the normal word order.