Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): En la cabaña de la montaña, la temperatura baja mucho por la noche. - In the cabin in the mountains, the temperature drops a lot at night.

En la cabaña de la montaña, la temperatura baja mucho por la noche.

In the cabin in the mountains, the temperature drops a lot at night.

Breakdown of En la cabaña de la montaña, la temperatura baja mucho por la noche.

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Questions & Answers about En la cabaña de la montaña, la temperatura baja mucho por la noche.

Why is it en la cabaña and not a la cabaña or dentro de la cabaña?

Spanish uses different prepositions depending on whether you talk about location or movement:

en la cabaña = in/at the cabin (static location)
a la cabaña = to the cabin (movement towards it)
dentro de la cabaña = inside the cabin (emphasises the interior)

In this sentence we’re describing where the temperature drops, not where it’s going, so en (location) is correct.

You could say dentro de la cabaña de la montaña, la temperatura baja mucho por la noche if you really want to stress inside as opposed to outside, but in normal Spanish en la cabaña is enough and sounds natural.

What exactly does de la montaña mean here? Why not en la montaña or something like cabaña de montaña?

Literally:

la cabaña de la montaña = the cabin of the mountain (belonging to / associated with that particular mountain)

So the sentence suggests there is one specific mountain and a specific cabin on/at that mountain.

Other very common options are:

en la montaña – in the mountains / on the mountain
- En una cabaña en la montaña, la temperatura baja mucho por la noche.
una cabaña de montaña – a mountain cabin (type of cabin, not tied to one specific mountain)
- En una cabaña de montaña, la temperatura baja mucho por la noche.

For a generic statement, Spaniards very often say una cabaña de montaña or una cabaña en la montaña.
La cabaña de la montaña feels more like a story: there is that particular mountain and that particular cabin.

Why are we using la cabaña, la montaña and la temperatura, not una cabaña, una montaña, etc.?

The definite article la usually means “the”, but in Spanish it’s used more widely than in English.

la cabaña de la montaña – the mountain’s cabin (we know which one)
una cabaña de montaña – a mountain cabin (any one, non‑specific)

With la temperatura, Spanish often uses the definite article for general or typical situations:

La temperatura baja mucho por la noche.
= The temperature drops a lot at night (in that place, in general)

English often omits the in such generic cases (temperature drops a lot…), but Spanish normally keeps the article.

What does baja mean here? Is it the verb bajar? What is the subject?

Yes, baja is the 3rd person singular present of the verb bajar:

bajar = to go down, to come down, to drop, to lower

In this sentence:

Subject: la temperatura
Verb: baja
Meaning: the temperature goes down / drops

So:

La temperatura baja mucho = The temperature drops a lot.

Compare with a transitive use:

El viento baja la temperatura.
The wind lowers the temperature.
(Here el viento is the subject, la temperatura is the object.)

How do I know baja here is a verb and not the adjective baja meaning “low/short”?

Formally they look the same, but the position and structure tell you what it is.

Verb “bajar” (3rd person singular):
- La temperatura baja mucho.
  Subject (la temperatura) + verb (baja) + adverb (mucho)
Adjective “baja” (feminine, singular):
- La temperatura es baja.
  Subject (la temperatura) + verb ser
  - adjective (baja)

Key clues:

After a noun, if you see “es/está + baja”, then baja is almost certainly an adjective.
- La temperatura está baja. = The temperature is low.
If baja is immediately after the subject and followed by an object or an adverb (here mucho), it’s normally the verb bajar.

So in the original sentence, because there is no “es/está”, and baja is followed by mucho, it must be the verb “drops/goes down”.

Why do we say baja mucho and not muy baja? What’s the difference between mucho and muy here?

In Spanish:

mucho modifies verbs and nouns.
muy modifies adjectives and adverbs.

So:

La temperatura baja mucho.
The temperature drops a lot.
(mucho modifies the verb baja.)
La temperatura es muy baja.
The temperature is very low.
(muy modifies the adjective baja.)

You cannot say “la temperatura baja muy” (incorrect).

Meaning difference:

baja mucho = it undergoes a big change (it drops a lot from whatever it was).
es muy baja = it is very low (a description of its level, not the change).

Why is it por la noche instead of en la noche or de noche? Can I drop la?

All three exist, but they’re not used the same way, especially in Spain:

por la noche – at night / during the night
Very standard and common in Spain.
de noche – at night (more adverbial, a bit shorter and more generic)
Also very common.
en la noche – grammatically possible, but in Spain it sounds either Latin-American, poetic, or a bit unusual in everyday speech.

About the article la:

por la noche – natural, almost always with la
por noche – sounds wrong in this sense
de noche – normally without article

So in Spain you’d mostly hear:

La temperatura baja mucho por la noche.
or La temperatura baja mucho de noche.

Both are good; por la noche is perfectly neutral Spanish from Spain.

Why is the verb in the present tense (baja) and not something like bajará or a construction with suele?

Spanish uses the simple present a lot for:

general truths
habits
typical behaviour in a certain place

So:

En la cabaña de la montaña, la temperatura baja mucho por la noche.
= In the mountain cabin, the temperature drops (typically) a lot at night.

Other options and their nuances:

… la temperatura suele bajar mucho por la noche.
The temperature usually tends to drop a lot at night. (emphasises “usually”.)
… la temperatura bajará mucho por la noche.
The temperature will drop a lot at night. (more future prediction in a specific case.)

But for a general, descriptive statement about what happens there, present simple (baja) is the default and most natural choice.

Can I change the word order, for example: La temperatura baja mucho por la noche en la cabaña de la montaña?

Yes. Spanish word order is relatively flexible. Some natural variants:

En la cabaña de la montaña, la temperatura baja mucho por la noche.
(Original: place first for setting/background.)
La temperatura baja mucho por la noche en la cabaña de la montaña.
(Default: subject first, then the rest.)
Por la noche, en la cabaña de la montaña, la temperatura baja mucho.
(First emphasises the time.)

All are grammatically correct. Differences are about emphasis and style:

Putting “En la cabaña de la montaña” first sets the scene.
Putting “La temperatura” first makes the temperature the main topic.

Why is there a comma after montaña? Is it required in Spanish?

The comma after montaña separates an initial prepositional phrase from the main clause:

En la cabaña de la montaña, (setting)
la temperatura baja mucho por la noche. (main statement)

In Spanish, a comma here is recommended but not absolutely mandatory. Many writers include it because:

the initial phrase is somewhat long, and
the comma makes the sentence easier to process.

You could technically write it without the comma:

En la cabaña de la montaña la temperatura baja mucho por la noche.

This is still correct, but the version with the comma is usually preferred in more careful writing.

Why are all these nouns feminine (la cabaña, la montaña, la temperatura, la noche)? How can I know their gender?

In this sentence, every noun happens to be feminine:

la cabaña – feminine (ends in -a)
la montaña – feminine (ends in -a)
la temperatura – feminine (ends in -a)
la noche – feminine (ends in -e, but this one you have to learn)

General tendencies:

Nouns ending in -a are usually feminine: la casa, la mesa, la cabaña, la montaña, la temperatura.
Nouns ending in -o are usually masculine: el libro, el vaso.
Nouns ending in -e or consonants can be either; you often just have to memorise them:
- masculine: el café, el coche
- feminine: la noche, la leche

So in this sentence, la is simply the correct article for all of these nouns by convention.

Is this exactly how a Spaniard would normally say “In a mountain cabin, it gets very cold at night”? Are there more natural alternatives?

The original sentence is correct and understandable in Spain, but for a typical / generic statement, a Spaniard would more likely say something like:

En una cabaña de montaña, la temperatura baja mucho por la noche.
(Almost the same as your sentence, but with una and de montaña.)

Or, using a very common idiom in Spain:

En una cabaña de montaña, hace mucho frío por la noche.
In a mountain cabin, it’s very cold at night.

Notes:

Hace frío / hace mucho frío is a very natural way to talk about cold weather/temperature in Spanish.
Using la cabaña de la montaña sounds like you’re talking about one specific, known cabin on one specific mountain, which is fine in a story or a concrete context. For a general “in a mountain cabin, it gets cold”, una cabaña de montaña is more idiomatic.