Mi hermana siempre cumple su palabra.

my

Breakdown of Mi hermana siempre cumple su palabra.

• siempre: always
• la hermana: the sister
• su: her

Questions & Answers about Mi hermana siempre cumple su palabra.

Why is it mi hermana and not la mi hermana?

In modern standard Spanish, you normally use the short possessive before the noun:

• mi hermana = my sister
• tu casa = your house
• su palabra = his/her/your word

Unlike English, Spanish does not usually combine the + possessive in this position. So la mi hermana sounds wrong in standard modern Spanish.

Spanish does sometimes use the definite article with a possessive in other structures, but not here.

Why is cumple used here?

Cumple is the third-person singular present form of the verb cumplir.

The subject is mi hermana, which is she in English, so the verb has to match that subject:

• yo cumplo = I keep / I fulfil
• tú cumples = you keep / you fulfil
• él/ella cumple = he/she keeps / fulfils

So:

• Mi hermana cumple... = My sister keeps...

What does cumplir mean here exactly?