El prisionero escribe.

The prisoner writes.

Breakdown of El prisionero escribe.

• escribir: to write
• el prisionero: the prisoner

Questions & Answers about El prisionero escribe.

Why is el used before prisionero?

El is the masculine singular definite article, meaning the.

So:

• el prisionero = the prisoner

In Spanish, articles are used very often, sometimes more often than in English. Here it tells us we are talking about a specific prisoner, or about the prisoner as the subject of the sentence.

If you wanted a prisoner, you would say:

• un prisionero

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Why is it prisionero and not prisionera?

Prisionero is the masculine form of the noun. It usually refers to a male prisoner.

• el prisionero = the male prisoner
• la prisionera = the female prisoner

Spanish nouns often change ending to show gender:

• -o often masculine
• -a often feminine

So if the prisoner were female, the sentence would be:

• La prisionera escribe.

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Why is there no word for he in the sentence?