Hoy tenemos mucho trabajo con el estudiante nuevo.

Today we have a lot of work with the new student.

Breakdown of Hoy tenemos mucho trabajo con el estudiante nuevo.

• tener: to have
• el estudiante: the student
• mucho: a lot
• con: with
• hoy: today
• nuevo: new
• nosotros: we
• el trabajo: the work
• el: the

Questions & Answers about Hoy tenemos mucho trabajo con el estudiante nuevo.

Why is the verb “tener” used in the form “tenemos” and not something like “estamos teniendo”?

In Spanish, “tenemos” is the simple present form of the verb “tener”, which is used to talk about possession or something you “have” in a broad sense (in this case, having a lot of work to do). The continuous form “estamos teniendo” would sound unnatural, because Spanish typically doesn’t use the progressive tense to refer to possession or states like having work to do.

Why is “trabajo” singular instead of plural in “mucho trabajo”?

When referring to the concept of work or a lot of work to do, Spanish prefers the uncountable singular noun “trabajo”. If you used “muchos trabajos”, it would suggest many individual jobs or tasks, which changes the meaning slightly. For a general sense of a heavy workload, “mucho trabajo” (in the singular) is correct.

Could I say “muchos trabajos” when I mean several different projects or tasks?

Yes. If you need to emphasize multiple separate tasks or projects, you could use “muchos trabajos”. However, in everyday speech when people say “mucho trabajo,” they mean they have a large amount of work overall, rather than many distinct, countable pieces of work.

Why is the preposition “con” used in “con el estudiante nuevo” instead of “para” or something else?

The preposition “con” generally means with, indicating that the new student is involved in the work. Using “para” (for) would imply you are doing the work for the student’s benefit or on the student’s behalf. In this context, it’s more natural to say you have a lot of work with the student, because you’re working alongside or involving him in some way.

Why does the adjective “nuevo” come after “estudiante” in “el estudiante nuevo”?

In Spanish, adjectives can go before or after nouns, but the position can subtly change the meaning or emphasis. “El estudiante nuevo” focuses on the fact that this student is newly arrived or recently enrolled. Saying “el nuevo estudiante” is also possible and common; it slightly emphasizes the newness of his role as a student. Both are acceptable, but “el estudiante nuevo” is the more neutral wording.