Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): El espejo refleja la luz.

In Spanish, all nouns have grammatical gender. Nouns that end in -o are typically masculine, so espejo takes the masculine article el (“the”) in its singular form. While there are exceptions, espejo follows the standard pattern of -o nouns being masculine.

Why is la luz feminine?

Some nouns, including those ending in -z, are feminine, and luz is one of them. It takes the definite article la (“the”) in the singular. Unfortunately, there isn’t a strict rule for -z endings—you have to memorize their gender, as with many Spanish nouns.

Why do we include the definite article la before luz instead of leaving it out?

In Spanish, when talking about something specific, general concepts, or abstract phenomena (like light), you usually include the definite article. Saying refleja luz without la sounds incomplete or overly vague. The article clarifies that you mean “the light” in question.

What is the verb refleja and why is it singular?