El cielo está muy gris hoy.

very

Breakdown of El cielo está muy gris hoy.

• estar: to be
• hoy: today
• el cielo: the sky
• gris: gray

Questions & Answers about El cielo está muy gris hoy.

Why do we use "está" instead of "es" here?

"Estar" is used for temporary or changing conditions, like the sky being gray today. "Ser" would imply a more permanent characteristic— which doesn’t apply here since the sky’s color is not always gray.

Can I say "el rojo cielo" instead of "el cielo rojo"?

No. In Spanish, adjectives usually come after the noun, so we say "el cielo rojo" for “the red sky.” For describing the current state of the sky as gray, we keep the adjective "gris" after "cielo".

What’s the difference between "muy" and "mucho"?

Use "muy" (meaning “very”) before adjectives or adverbs, such as "muy gris" (“very gray”) or "muy rápido" (“very fast”). Use "mucho" (meaning “a lot” or “much”) to modify nouns or to indicate quantity, like "mucho dinero" (“a lot of money”).

Is "gris" masculine or feminine?

In this sentence, "gris" doesn’t change form because it’s used with a masculine singular noun ("el cielo"). If we’re describing a feminine singular noun, "gris" would remain the same too (e.g., "la nube gris"). Only in plural does the spelling change to "grises" (e.g., "los cielos grises").

Why do we say "hoy" at the end instead of the beginning?

Placement of "hoy" (“today”) at the end of the sentence is a matter of style and emphasis in Spanish. You could also say "Hoy el cielo está muy gris", and it would still be correct. However, "El cielo está muy gris hoy" can sound slightly more natural in casual conversation.