El señor dijo adiós.

to say

Breakdown of El señor dijo adiós.

• el señor: the gentleman
• adiós: goodbye

Questions & Answers about El señor dijo adiós.

Why is el used before señor?

In Spanish, it is very normal to use the definite article with titles or polite nouns when talking about someone.

So el señor can mean things like:

• the gentleman
• the man
• the señor / Mr. in some contexts

This is different from English, where we usually would not say the Mr.

But when speaking to the person directly, Spanish usually drops the article:

• Señor, venga aquí. = Sir, come here.

So in El señor dijo adiós, the speaker is referring to the man, not addressing him.

What exactly does señor mean here?

Señor is a polite word for an adult man. Depending on context, it can feel like:

• sir
• gentleman
• man
• Mr.

If it stands alone, as in this sentence, it often means the gentleman or the man in a polite or formal way.

If it comes before a surname, it is more clearly Mr.:

• el señor García = Mr. García

What tense is dijo?