Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Mi hermana vegetariana y mi prima vegana buscan recetas con mucha proteína vegetal. - My vegetarian sister and my vegan cousin look for recipes with a lot of plant protein.

Why is the verb buscan (3rd person plural) and not busca (3rd person singular)? The sentence starts with Mi hermana, which looks singular.

Because the subject is actually two people:

Mi hermana vegetariana
y mi prima vegana

Together they form a plural subject, so the verb must be plural:

Mi hermana vegetariana y mi prima vegana buscan… ✅
Mi hermana vegetariana y mi prima vegana busca… ❌

In Spanish, the verb always agrees in number (singular/plural) with the whole subject, not just with the first noun.

Could I omit the second mi and say Mi hermana vegetariana y prima vegana buscan…?

No, not in this sentence. That version sounds like you are describing one person who is both your sister and your cousin:

Mi hermana vegetariana y prima vegana
= my sister, who is vegetarian and (also) my cousin, who is vegan (very confusing)

To make it clear that you are talking about two different relatives, you repeat the possessive:

Mi hermana vegetariana y mi prima vegana ✅

You can safely omit the second mi only when it’s 100% clear you’re still describing the same person, for example:

Mi amiga francesa y vegetariana
My French and vegetarian friend (one person).

Why are vegetariana and vegana placed after the nouns (hermana, prima) instead of before them?

In Spanish, most descriptive adjectives normally go after the noun:

mi hermana vegetariana = my sister who is vegetarian
mi prima vegana = my cousin who is vegan

Putting them after the noun tends to classify or identify the noun (what kind of sister? what kind of cousin?).

If you put them before (mi vegetariana hermana), it sounds very odd or poetic and is not normal Spanish. So:

mi hermana vegetariana ✅
mi vegetariana hermana ❌ (sounds wrong in everyday speech)

Why are vegetariana and vegana in the feminine form?

Because they agree with the nouns they modify, which are feminine:

hermana (sister) → feminine singular
prima (female cousin) → feminine singular

So the adjectives must also be feminine singular:

hermana vegetariana (not hermana vegetariano)
prima vegana (not prima vegano)

If it were a brother and a male cousin:

Mi hermano vegetariano y mi primo vegano…

What is the difference between vegetariana and vegana in Spanish?

The distinction is the same as in English:

vegetariana: vegetarian – doesn’t eat meat or fish, but might eat eggs/dairy (depends on the person).
vegana: vegan – avoids all animal products (meat, fish, eggs, dairy, often honey, etc.).

Grammatically, both are regular adjectives and agree in gender and number:

un chico vegetariano / una chica vegetariana
unos chicos veganos / unas chicas veganas

Why does Spanish use buscan recetas and not something like “buscan por recetas” or “buscan para recetas”?

In Spanish, the verb buscar already includes the idea of “looking for.” You do not normally add a preposition before the direct object:

buscan recetas = they look for recipes / they are searching for recipes ✅
buscan por recetas, buscan para recetas ❌ (wrong or at least unnatural here)

So:

Busco trabajo. = I’m looking for a job.
Buscamos piso en Madrid. = We’re looking for a flat in Madrid.

Could I say están buscando recetas instead of buscan recetas? What’s the difference?

Both are correct, but there’s a nuance:

buscan recetas
- Simple present. Can mean:
  - They are generally looking for recipes these days (habit/ongoing project), or
  - Right now, depending on context.
están buscando recetas
- Present progressive. Emphasises an action in progress right now, at this moment.

In everyday Spanish (including in Spain), the simple present is very common even for actions happening “now,” more than in English:

¿Qué haces? – What are you doing?
Buscamos recetas nuevas. – We’re looking for new recipes.

Why is it mucha proteína vegetal (singular) and not muchas proteínas vegetales (plural)?

Proteína is often used as a mass noun (like “water,” “sugar,” “rice”), especially when talking about amount of protein in food:

mucha proteína vegetal = a lot of plant-based protein (as a substance)

You could say:

muchas proteínas vegetales

…but that sounds more technical or scientific, as if you’re talking about different types of plant proteins.

For everyday cooking and nutrition talk, mucha proteína vegetal is the most natural choice.

Why is it mucha and not mucho proteína vegetal?

Because mucha has to agree with proteína, which is feminine singular:

la proteína → mucha proteína ✅
el azúcar → mucho azúcar
las vitaminas → muchas vitaminas

The basic pattern:

masculine singular noun → mucho
feminine singular noun → mucha
masculine plural noun → muchos
feminine plural noun → muchas

Why proteína vegetal and not proteína de vegetales or proteína de plantas?

All three are understandable, but they sound a bit different:

proteína vegetal
- Very standard, idiomatic way to say plant-based protein in nutrition and cooking.
- Common in Spain in menus, recipe blogs, etc.
proteína de origen vegetal
- More formal/technical: protein of plant origin.
proteína de vegetales / proteína de plantas
- Grammatically OK, but less standard as a fixed phrase. Could sound more literal or explanatory.

So for a natural, everyday sentence, proteína vegetal is the best option.

How would this sentence typically be pronounced in Spain?

In most of Spain (Peninsular Spanish with ceceo, /θ/):

Mi hermana vegetariana y mi prima vegana buscan recetas con mucha proteína vegetal.

Approximate pronunciation (showing z/c as th in English):

Mi er-MA-na be-he-ta-RYÁ-na i mi PRÍ-ma be-GÁ-na BÚS-kan re-THÉ-tas kon MÚ-cha pro-te-Í-na be-he-TAHL.

Notes:

vege- is usually pronounced with a soft g like English “h” in many parts of Spain: [beˈxe].
recetas → reθetas (the c before e is /θ/).
The stress falls on: herMAna, vegetaRIAna, PRIma, veGAna, BUScan, reCEtas, MUcha, proteÍna, vegeTAL.

Is the word order “Mi hermana vegetariana y mi prima vegana buscan recetas con mucha proteína vegetal” flexible, or can I move parts around?

Some movement is possible, but not everything is natural. These are fine:

Mi hermana vegetariana y mi prima vegana buscan recetas con mucha proteína vegetal. ✅
Buscan recetas con mucha proteína vegetal mi hermana vegetariana y mi prima vegana. ✅ (more unusual; sounds emphatic or literary, but grammatically correct)

However, splitting the noun from its adjectives is not natural:

Mi hermana y mi prima buscan vegetarianas y veganas recetas… ❌ (wrong)

Stick to the original order for normal, neutral Spanish.

Should there be commas around vegetariana and vegana? For example: Mi hermana, vegetariana, y mi prima, vegana, buscan…?

Without commas (original sentence):

Mi hermana vegetariana y mi prima vegana buscan…

Here vegetariana and vegana are restrictive: they tell you which sister and which cousin (the vegetarian one, the vegan one). This is the most natural reading.

With commas:

Mi hermana, vegetariana, y mi prima, vegana, buscan…

Now vegetariana and vegana are extra information (non-essential), like saying:

My sister, (who is) vegetarian, and my cousin, (who is) vegan, are looking…

Both are grammatically correct. The version without commas feels more neutral and typical in this context.

Why is it Mi hermana and not La mi hermana or La hermana mía?

Spanish usually follows these patterns with family members:

Possessive adjective + singular family member
→ Mi hermana, mi padre, mi prima
This is the most common and natural.
Definite article + noun (no possessive) when context is clear:
→ La hermana de Juan = Juan’s sister.
Stressed possessive (mío, tuyo, suyo, etc.)
- la hermana mía is possible but more marked/emphatic, and much less common in everyday speech.

La mi hermana is archaic/poetic in modern Spanish and not used in normal conversation. So:

Mi hermana vegetariana… ✅ standard modern Spanish.