Breakdown of La contaminación del mar afecta al planeta entero, no solo a las playas turísticas.
Questions & Answers about La contaminación del mar afecta al planeta entero, no solo a las playas turísticas.
In Spanish, de + el and a + el must contract:
- de el mar → del mar = of the sea
- a el planeta → al planeta = to the planet / affects the planet
These contractions are obligatory in standard Spanish when el is the masculine singular article:
- ✅ del libro, al coche
- ❌ de el libro, a el coche
They do not happen with the pronoun él (he/him):
- ✅ de él, a él (about him, to him)
- ❌ del, al (if you mean él the pronoun)
Mar is one of those nouns that can be either masculine or feminine:
- In normal, everyday modern Spanish, it’s usually masculine:
- el mar, del mar, en el mar
- La mar is also correct, but:
- It’s more literary/poetic or regional (e.g. in some coastal areas).
- It can sound old‑fashioned or very expressive.
In this sentence, del mar uses the common, neutral, modern choice: masculine.
The verb afectar is transitive and can be used in two ways:
- afectar algo (no preposition)
- afectar a algo / a alguien
With people, a is basically required:
- La contaminación afecta a las personas.
With things, both are possible. So you could say:
- La contaminación del mar afecta el planeta entero.
- La contaminación del mar afecta al planeta entero.
In practice, afectar a is extremely common, even with things, and a el contracts to al, giving afecta al planeta. The version in the sentence sounds very natural and is probably the most usual.
Both mean the whole planet, and in this sentence they’re practically interchangeable:
- afecta al planeta entero
- afecta a todo el planeta
Nuance:
- entero (placed after the noun: planeta entero)
Emphasises “in its entirety, every part of it”. - todo (before the noun: todo el planeta)
Also means the entire thing, often a bit more neutral.
Stylistically, planeta entero can sound a bit more emphatic than todo el planeta, but the difference is small.
The comma separates two contrasted parts:
- La contaminación del mar afecta al planeta entero,
- no solo a las playas turísticas.
This structure is related to the pattern:
- no solo X, sino también Y = not only X, but also Y
Here, the second part (“sino también …”) is understood from context, so the sentence stops after no solo a las playas turísticas. You could write the full pattern:
- La contaminación del mar afecta al planeta entero, no solo a las playas turísticas, sino también a los ecosistemas marinos.
The comma before no solo marks that shift/contrast, like in English when you pause before “not only…”.
In Spanish, when we talk about a group in general, we usually use the definite article:
- Las ballenas están en peligro. = Whales are in danger.
- Los coches eléctricos son más caros. = Electric cars are more expensive.
So here:
- las playas turísticas = tourist beaches in general
- Saying just playas turísticas tends to sound:
- like a non‑specific quantity (some tourist beaches), or
- like part of a list after another noun.
For a general statement about all tourist beaches, las playas turísticas is the normal choice.
Playas turísticas means beaches that are associated with tourism: well‑known resort beaches, developed for or heavily used by tourists.
Other options:
- playas para turistas
- Literally: beaches for tourists
- Emphasises intended target: these beaches are designed/marketed for tourists.
- playas de turistas
- Much less natural; sounds like tourists’ beaches or beaches full of tourists.
- Could appear in very informal speech, but it’s not the standard way to express the idea.
For neutral, standard Spanish (Spain), playas turísticas is the usual expression.
Adjectives in Spanish must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify.
- Noun: las playas
- playas → feminine plural (ending in -a in singular: la playa)
- Adjective: turístico
- Masculine singular: turístico
- Feminine singular: turística
- Masculine plural: turísticos
- Feminine plural: turísticas
Since playas is feminine plural, the adjective must be turísticas:
las playas turísticas.
Contaminación in this context is used as an uncountable / abstract noun:
- La contaminación del mar = sea pollution in general, as a phenomenon.
In normal usage:
- ✅ la contaminación del mar
- ✅ la contaminación de los mares (pollution of the seas)
- ❌ las contaminaciones del mar, except in very specific, technical contexts.
Contaminaciones (plural) might be used in scientific or bureaucratic language when talking about different types or episodes of contamination, but in everyday language the singular is standard.
In Spanish, the simple present is very often used for:
- General facts and truths
- Ongoing states or situations
So:
- La contaminación del mar afecta al planeta entero
= Sea pollution affects the whole planet (as a general, ongoing reality).
Está afectando would emphasise the process happening right now:
- La contaminación del mar está afectando al planeta entero.
= It is currently affecting the whole planet (focus on the action in progress).
Both are grammatically correct, but for a general statement (like in the example), afecta (simple present) is the most natural choice.