El profesor es amable.

to be

Breakdown of El profesor es amable.

• el profesor: the teacher
• amable: kind

Questions & Answers about El profesor es amable.

Why do we use el profesor and not la profesora?

Spanish nouns have gender. El profesor refers to a male teacher, while la profesora refers to a female teacher. Here, we assume the teacher is male, so el is appropriate.

Why is profesor masculine even if it ends in "-or"?

In Spanish, most nouns ending in "-or" (like profesor, doctor, director) are masculine by default. The feminine forms often end in "-ora" (like profesora, doctora, directora).

Why do we use es instead of está with amable?

Ser (conjugated as es) tends to be used for inherent traits or characteristics, such as friendliness or personality. Estar (conjugated as está) often indicates temporary states or conditions. Since being kind is viewed as a more permanent characteristic here, es is used.

Why does amable not change form for masculine vs. feminine?

Many Spanish adjectives ending in "-e" (like amable, inteligente) have only one form that works for both masculine and feminine nouns. Hence, amable stays the same whether we say el profesor es amable or la profesora es amable.

What does amable mean in a broader sense?

Amable typically means kind, friendly, or nice. It suggests a person who is polite, considerate, and pleasant to interact with.