Es un pariente cercano.

Because es comes from ser, which is used for identity, classification, and what someone is.

Here, Es un pariente cercano means He/She/It is a close relative, so we are identifying the person’s relationship.

Está would suggest a temporary state or location, which does not fit here.

Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb already gives enough information.

• Es = he/she/it is
• So Es un pariente cercano can mean:
  • He is a close relative
  • She is a close relative
  • sometimes It is a close relative, depending on context

You would only add él, ella, etc. for emphasis or clarity:

• Él es un pariente cercano.

Un means a.

So:

• un pariente cercano = a close relative

It is used because pariente is a singular countable noun. In English, we also normally say a close relative, not just close relative by itself.

Pariente means relative.

It is a general word for a family relation, without saying exactly which one:

• cousin
• aunt
• uncle
• nephew
• etc.

In Spain, pariente is correct, but it can sound a bit neutral or slightly formal. In everyday speech, people may also say familiar or use the specific relationship if they know it.

Both can refer to a family member, but there is a slight difference in feel.

• pariente = relative
• familiar = family member / relative

In many contexts they overlap, but familiar is often more common in everyday language, while pariente can sound a bit more formal or general.

So:

• Es un pariente cercano = He/She is a close relative
• Es un familiar cercano is also possible, though the nuance may feel slightly different depending on context.

Pariente can be either masculine or feminine depending on the person, but the form of the noun usually stays the same.

• un pariente = a male relative
• una pariente = a female relative

So the article tells you the gender here, not the noun ending.

In Spanish, adjectives often come after the noun.

So:

• pariente cercano = close relative

That is the normal order here. English usually puts adjectives before the noun, but Spanish often places them after.

Here, cercano means close in the sense of closely related by family.

So un pariente cercano means a relative with a close family connection, not just any distant relative.

Depending on context, cercano can also mean near or close by, but in this sentence it refers to family relationship, not physical distance.

Sometimes cercano can suggest emotional closeness, but in pariente cercano the usual meaning is close relative in the family-tree sense.

If you want to say someone is emotionally close, Spanish would usually make that clearer from context or use a different structure.

Normally, Es un pariente cercano is the standard sentence.

Leaving out un would sound unusual in ordinary speech. Spanish usually keeps the article with a noun like this when you mean a close relative.

So for learners, the safest version is:

• Es un pariente cercano.

It can mean either one.

Because Spanish often drops the subject pronoun, Es by itself does not tell you whether the subject is:

• he
• she
• it
• even you in formal speech, depending on context

You need the surrounding context to know exactly who is being referred to.

You would say:

• Son parientes cercanos. = They are close relatives.

Changes:

• Es → Son
• pariente → parientes
• cercano → cercanos

If they were all female, you could also say:

• Son parientes cercanas

But with mixed or unspecified gender, cercanos is the normal plural form.

It is a very natural and common combination, yes.

Spanish speakers often use pariente cercano to mean close relative, especially in more neutral, descriptive, or official-style language.

In casual speech, though, people may often prefer:

• un familiar cercano
• or the exact relationship, such as un primo, una tía, etc.