Mi portátil es más pesado que el de mi hermana.

Breakdown of Mi portátil es más pesado que el de mi hermana.

ser
to be
mi
my
más
more
la hermana
the sister
el portátil
the laptop
que
than
pesado
heavy
el de
that of

Questions & Answers about Mi portátil es más pesado que el de mi hermana.

Why is portátil used here? Is that the normal word for laptop in Spain?

Yes. In Spain, portátil is a very common way to say laptop. It is short for ordenador portátil.

  • ordenador = computer
  • portátil = portable

So mi portátil means my laptop. In Spain, this sounds very natural. In much of Latin America, learners may hear laptop, computadora portátil, or portátil, depending on the country.

How does más pesado que work?

Más ... que is the standard pattern for more ... than in Spanish.

So:

  • más = more
  • pesado = heavy
  • que = than

Putting it together:

  • más pesado que = heavier than / literally more heavy than

This same structure works with many adjectives:

  • más grande que = bigger than
  • más rápido que = faster than
  • más caro que = more expensive than
Why is it pesado and not pesada?

Because pesado agrees with portátil, and portátil is masculine here.

In Spanish, adjectives usually match the noun they describe in gender and number.

  • el portátil pesado = the heavy laptop
  • la maleta pesada = the heavy suitcase

So in the sentence:

  • Mi portátil es más pesado...

the adjective is masculine singular because portátil is masculine singular.

Why is there an el in el de mi hermana?

Here, el stands in for the noun portátil so that Spanish does not need to repeat it.

The full idea is:

  • Mi portátil es más pesado que el portátil de mi hermana.

But Spanish often avoids repeating the noun when it is obvious, so it becomes:

  • Mi portátil es más pesado que el de mi hermana.

So el de mi hermana means my sister’s one or more naturally my sister’s laptop.

Why can’t you just say que de mi hermana?

Because de mi hermana by itself only means of my sister or belonging to my sister. It does not include the idea of the one.

Spanish needs the article el here to replace the omitted noun:

  • el de mi hermana = the one belonging to my sister

Without el, the phrase would be incomplete in this sentence.

What does de mean in el de mi hermana?

Here de shows possession, similar to of or belonging to in English.

So:

  • el de mi hermana = the one of my sister
  • more natural English: my sister’s one or my sister’s laptop

This is a very common Spanish pattern:

  • el de Juan = Juan’s one / Juan’s
  • la de María = María’s one / María’s
Why is it es and not está?

Because pesado here describes a characteristic of the laptop, not a temporary state or location.

Spanish usually uses:

  • ser for identity, classification, and more permanent descriptions
  • estar for location, condition, or temporary states

So:

  • Mi portátil es más pesado... = My laptop is heavier...

That is a description of the object, so ser is the correct verb.

Could you also say Mi portátil pesa más que el de mi hermana?

Yes, absolutely. That is also very natural.

There is a small difference in focus:

  • es más pesado = is heavier
  • pesa más = weighs more

In everyday English, those are often basically the same idea in this context. Both are correct and natural.

Why does the sentence repeat mi in mi hermana?

Because mi portátil and mi hermana are two different possessive relationships:

  • mi portátil = my laptop
  • mi hermana = my sister

Spanish needs both to make the meaning clear. If you removed the second mi, you would get:

  • el de hermana

which is not correct. You need:

  • el de mi hermana = my sister’s
Does portátil always stay the same in the singular for masculine and feminine?

Yes. Portátil is an adjective ending in -l, so it does not change form for masculine vs feminine in the singular.

For example:

  • un ordenador portátil
  • una consola portátil

The word stays portátil in both cases. Only the article or the noun shows the gender.

In the plural, it changes normally:

  • portátiles
Why does portátil have an accent mark?

It has a written accent because of Spanish stress rules.

Without the accent mark, Spanish pronunciation rules would place the stress differently. The accent shows exactly where the stress goes.

This is useful both for pronunciation and spelling.

If the noun were feminine, would el de mi hermana change?

Yes. The article must match the omitted noun.

For a masculine noun:

  • Mi portátil es más pesado que el de mi hermana.

For a feminine noun:

  • Mi tableta es más pesada que la de mi hermana.

So:

  • el de... replaces a masculine noun
  • la de... replaces a feminine noun
Is this sentence natural in everyday Spanish in Spain?

Yes, it sounds completely natural.

A speaker in Spain would understand it immediately, and it uses very normal grammar:

  • Mi portátil = common in Spain
  • más pesado que = normal comparison
  • el de mi hermana = natural way to avoid repeating the noun

So this is a good, idiomatic sentence for everyday Spanish.

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