El primer fallo del informe era pequeño, pero el segundo cambió toda la frase.

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Breakdown of El primer fallo del informe era pequeño, pero el segundo cambió toda la frase.

• ser: to be
• pero: but
• del: of the

Questions & Answers about El primer fallo del informe era pequeño, pero el segundo cambió toda la frase.

Why is it primer and not primero in El primer fallo?

Primer is the shortened form of primero. In Spanish, primero becomes primer when it comes directly before a singular masculine noun.

• el primer fallo = the first mistake
• el primero = the first one

So here, because fallo is a singular masculine noun and primer comes right before it, primer is required.

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What does fallo mean here, and is it the same as error?

Here, fallo means mistake, fault, or error.

In Spain, fallo is quite common and can suggest:

• a mistake in a text
• a flaw in a system
• a fault in reasoning
• even a bug or defect

Error is also correct and often more neutral or general.

So:

• un fallo del informe = a mistake/fault in the report
• un error del informe = an error in the report

In this sentence, fallo sounds natural, especially in Spain.

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Why is it del informe instead of de el informe?