La protagonista actúa en el teatro del barrio esta noche.

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Breakdown of La protagonista actúa en el teatro del barrio esta noche.

• esta noche: tonight
• del: of the
• el barrio: the neighborhood

Questions & Answers about La protagonista actúa en el teatro del barrio esta noche.

What exactly does protagonista mean, and is it always feminine because it ends in -a?

Protagonista means main character (in a book, film, play, etc.) or sometimes leading performer.

It is not always feminine. Nouns ending in -ista (turista, dentista, futbolista, protagonista…) can be either masculine or feminine. The article tells you the gender:

• La protagonista = the (female) main character
• El protagonista = the (male) main character

So in the sentence, it’s feminine because of la, not because of the -a ending.

Could I say la actriz instead of la protagonista?

Not usually; they mean different things:

• La protagonista = the main character (in the story) / the lead role
• La actriz = the actress, the female performer (profession)

In a theatre context:

• La actriz talks about the person’s job.
• La protagonista talks about the role she plays in the story.

You could say both, but they’re not interchangeable:

• La actriz principal actúa en el teatro del barrio esta noche.
  The lead actress performs at the neighborhood theatre tonight.
• La protagonista actúa…
  The main character performs… (emphasis on the role in the play/film).

Why is there an accent on actúa?