El judío lee el libro.

Because the two el words belong to two different nouns:

• el judío = the subject noun phrase
• el libro = the direct object noun phrase

In Spanish, the definite article is used much like the in English, but each noun normally needs its own article if it is definite.

So:

• El judío = the Jewish man / the Jew
• el libro = the book

You cannot use one el for both nouns.

Lee is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb leer (to read).

So it can mean:

• he reads
• she reads
• it reads (rare in real life)
• you read in the formal usted form

In this sentence, because the subject is El judío, lee means he reads.

Conjugation of leer in the present:

• yo leo
• tú lees
• él/ella/usted lee
• nosotros leemos
• vosotros leéis
• ellos/ellas/ustedes leen

Because it comes from the infinitive leer.

If you remove the -r ending and add the normal present-tense ending for él/ella/usted, you get:

• leer → stem lee-
• third-person singular ending is effectively -e
• result: lee

So the double e is not unusual or accidental; it is just how this verb conjugates.

You see similar forms elsewhere too:

• leo
• lees
• lee
• leen

The accent mark shows where the stress goes: ju-DÍ-o.

Without the written accent, Spanish spelling rules would suggest a different stress pattern. The accent tells you clearly that the stressed syllable is dí.

So:

• judío = stressed on dí
• pronunciation: roughly hoo-DI-oh in Spain, though exact sounds vary by accent

The accent is part of the correct spelling, so it should not be omitted.

A simple guide:

• El ≈ el
• judío ≈ hu-DI-o
• lee ≈ LE-e
• el libro ≈ el LI-bro

A more careful Spain pronunciation would be approximately:

el hu-DI-o LE-e el LI-bro

A few notes:

• The j in judío is a strong throaty sound, like the ch in Scottish loch, not like English j.
• lee has two vowels that are both pronounced: le-e.
• b and v are pronounced very similarly in Spanish, so libro does not sound like English libro with a hard English b.

Here, judío is a noun, because it is the main word referring to a person:

• El judío = the Jew / the Jewish man

But judío can also be an adjective:

• un hombre judío = a Jewish man
• una mujer judía = a Jewish woman
• cultura judía = Jewish culture

So the same word can function in both ways depending on the sentence.

In Spanish, words for religions, nationalities, and related adjectives are normally not capitalized unless they begin a sentence.

So Spanish writes:

• judío
• cristiano
• musulmán
• español
• francés

This differs from English, where Jewish is capitalized.

So El judío lee el libro is correctly written with lowercase judío.

Because Spanish usually does not need a subject pronoun when the subject is already clear.

In this sentence, the subject is explicitly stated as El judío, so adding él would be unnecessary:

• El judío lee el libro = natural
• Él, el judío, lee el libro = possible only in special contexts, such as emphasis or contrast

Spanish is a language that often leaves pronouns out when the verb form or the noun phrase already makes the subject clear.

Yes, if the context already makes clear who is reading.

• Lee el libro = He/She is reading the book or He/She reads the book

Spanish often omits the subject when it is understood.

But if you specifically want to identify the reader as the Jewish man / the Jew, then you keep the subject:

• El judío lee el libro

Because that is the most neutral and common word order in Spanish, just as in English:

• El judío = subject
• lee = verb
• el libro = direct object

So:

El judío lee el libro.

Spanish can change word order for emphasis, style, or contrast, but the basic order is usually the clearest and most natural for learners.

For example, these are possible in certain contexts, but less neutral:

• El libro lo lee el judío.
• Lee el judío el libro. (more literary or marked)

For a basic statement, El judío lee el libro is the standard choice.

Because the personal a is generally used before a specific human direct object, not before a thing.

Here, el libro is a thing, so there is no a:

• El judío lee el libro. ✅

Compare with a person as the direct object:

• El judío ve al profesor. = The Jewish man sees the teacher.

So:

• thing → no personal a
• person → often a

Yes. In Spanish, the simple present can often express:

• a habitual action: reads
• a current action: is reading, depending on context

So El judío lee el libro could mean either:

• The Jewish man reads the book
  or
• The Jewish man is reading the book

If you want to make the ongoing action especially explicit, Spanish can use:

• El judío está leyendo el libro = The Jewish man is reading the book

But the simple present is still very common.

The article, noun, and verb may change depending on number and gender.

Examples:

• La judía lee el libro. = The Jewish woman reads the book.
• Los judíos leen el libro. = The Jewish men / the Jews read the book.
• Las judías leen el libro. = The Jewish women read the book.

Notice the changes:

• el → masculine singular
• la → feminine singular
• los → masculine plural
• las → feminine plural

And the verb changes too:

• singular: lee
• plural: leen

Yes. Grammatically, the sentence is perfectly normal.

However, a learner should know that using a label like el judío to refer to a person can depend heavily on context. In some situations it may sound neutral and descriptive; in others it may feel too direct or marked.

Often, Spanish also uses alternatives such as:

• el hombre judío = the Jewish man
• la persona judía = the Jewish person

So the sentence is useful for grammar practice, but in real-life communication, you would choose the wording carefully depending on context and tone.