Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Ese voluntario es muy solidario: siempre ayuda a quien lo necesita sin pedir nada a cambio. - That volunteer is very supportive: he always helps whoever needs it without asking for anything in return.

Word

Ese voluntario es muy solidario: siempre ayuda a quien lo necesita sin pedir nada a cambio.

Meaning

That volunteer is very supportive: he always helps whoever needs it without asking for anything in return.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Spanish (Spain)

Lesson

Lesson 79

Breakdown of Ese voluntario es muy solidario: siempre ayuda a quien lo necesita sin pedir nada a cambio.

Questions & Answers about Ese voluntario es muy solidario: siempre ayuda a quien lo necesita sin pedir nada a cambio.

Why does the sentence start with ese voluntario instead of este voluntario?

Both este and ese mean this/that, but they point to different degrees of distance.

este voluntario = this volunteer (closer to the speaker, physically or mentally)
ese voluntario = that volunteer (a bit farther away, or already identified in the conversation)

In real Spanish, the difference is often about how the speaker is framing the person, not just literal physical distance. Here, ese voluntario sounds like that volunteer / that particular volunteer.

Is voluntario a noun or an adjective here?

Here, voluntario is a noun: a volunteer.

Spanish often uses the same word as both a noun and an adjective:

Es voluntario. = He is a volunteer. / He does it voluntarily.
(This can be ambiguous depending on context.)
Ese voluntario = That volunteer.
(Clearly a noun here.)

In this sentence, ese makes it obvious that voluntario is being used as a noun.

Why is it es muy solidario and not está muy solidario?