Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): El wifi de la biblioteca tiene buena señal.

The Real Academia Española (RAE) lists el wifi (or el wifi / el wi-fi) as masculine.
Some speakers, especially in everyday speech, also say la wifi (thinking of it as a “red” or “conexión” which are feminine), but in Spain you’ll very often hear el wifi.

For exams, textbooks, or formal writing, el wifi (masculine) is the safest choice.

Why does wifi take the article el at all? In English we can just say “Wi‑Fi” without “the”.

Spanish uses definite articles much more than English, especially with general or abstract nouns.

English: “Wi‑Fi in the library has good signal.”
Spanish: El wifi de la biblioteca tiene buena señal.

Leaving out the article (Wifi de la biblioteca…) would sound incomplete or ungrammatical in standard Spanish. You almost always need el/la in front of a countable noun when you’re talking about it in a specific way.

Why is it de la biblioteca and not just de biblioteca?

In Spanish, when you refer to a specific place or thing, you normally include the article.

de la biblioteca = “of the library / the library’s” (a specific library)
de biblioteca (without article) is not natural here and sounds wrong.

Spanish generally doesn’t drop the article where English does. So you say:

el wifi de la biblioteca = “the library’s wifi / the wifi of the library”

Could you also say El wifi en la biblioteca tiene buena señal? What’s the difference between de and en here?

Yes, El wifi en la biblioteca tiene buena señal is also correct, but the nuance changes slightly:

de la biblioteca = belongs to or is provided by the library
- Emphasis on ownership / association: the library’s Wi‑Fi service.
en la biblioteca = located in the library
- Emphasis on location: the Wi‑Fi that you have when you’re inside the library.

In everyday speech, both are used. If the library actually offers and manages that network, de la biblioteca fits very well.

What does tiene mean here? Why use tener instead of ser or estar?

Tiene is the 3rd‑person singular form of tener (“to have”).

tener buena señal = “to have good signal / reception”

Spanish often uses tener + noun where English might use to be + adjective or a similar structure:

El wifi tiene buena señal. = “The Wi‑Fi has good signal.”
You could also say El wifi es bueno, but that’s more general (“the Wi‑Fi is good”) and doesn’t specifically mention the signal strength.

Using estar here would be unusual:

El wifi está bueno is colloquial and usually sounds odd or even suggestive; not the normal way to talk about connection quality.

So tener buena señal is the natural collocation.

Why is it buena señal and not bien señal?

Bien is an adverb; bueno/buena is an adjective.

señal is a noun, so it needs an adjective to describe it.
Therefore, you use buena (adjective), not bien (adverb).

Compare:

Tiene buena señal. = “It has good signal.” (adjective + noun)
Funciona bien. = “It works well.” (verb + adverb)

You only use bien to modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, not nouns.

Why does buena come before señal instead of after it?

Both word orders are possible, but they sound slightly different:

buena señal (adjective before noun):
- Very natural and common here.
- Often used for more “evaluative” or “subjective” descriptions (“good, nice, pleasant signal”).
señal buena (adjective after noun):
- Grammatically correct, but less idiomatic in this specific phrase.
- Sometimes sounds more neutral or descriptive.

For this fixed expression about connectivity, people normally say:

Tiene buena señal.

Putting buena first is the standard, very natural option.

Is señal always feminine? How do we know that buena must end in -a?

Yes, señal is a feminine noun: la señal. Its article is feminine (la), so any adjective must agree in gender and number:

la señal → buena señal (feminine singular)
las señales → buenas señales (feminine plural)

That’s why you say buena (not bueno) in buena señal.
You learn noun gender mostly by memorizing it with the noun: la señal, la mesa, el libro, etc.

Could I say tiene una buena señal instead of tiene buena señal?

You can say tiene una buena señal, but it changes the feel:

tiene buena señal
- More idiomatic for Wi‑Fi / phone signal.
- Think of it as “has good signal quality” in general.
- No article: the focus is on quality, not on one specific “instance” of a signal.
tiene una buena señal
- Grammatically correct, but sounds more like “it has a good sign” (as in an omen or indication), depending on context.
- For connectivity, it’s less common and less natural.

For talking about Wi‑Fi reception, stick with tiene buena señal.

Could I use cobertura or conexión instead of señal when talking about wifi?

Yes, but they’re not exact synonyms, and usage in Spain has preferences:

señal
- Literally “signal”.
- Very common with both Wi‑Fi and mobile reception.
- Tiene buena señal.
cobertura
- Literally “coverage”.
- Used more with mobile networks: Aquí no hay cobertura.
- Less typical for Wi‑Fi, but you may hear it.
conexión
- “Connection”.
- Focuses on the quality of the connection, not just radio signal:
  - La conexión va muy lenta. = “The connection is very slow.”

For this exact sentence about Wi‑Fi reception strength, señal is the most natural: tiene buena señal.

Does biblioteca mean “library”? What’s “bookstore” in Spanish?

Yes:

la biblioteca = “the library” (a place where you borrow or consult books)

A common false friend is:

la librería = “the bookstore / bookshop” (where you buy books)

So in this sentence, la biblioteca correctly means “the library”, not “bookshop”.