Breakdown of Las fotos son bonitas.
ser
to be
las
the (feminine plural)
bonito
pretty / nice
la foto
the photo
Questions & Answers about Las fotos son bonitas.
Wait, why is it las fotos? Doesn't the -o ending usually mean a noun is masculine?
It is a tricky exception! The word foto is actually short for fotografía. Because fotografía ends in -a and is a feminine noun, the short version keeps that feminine gender. That is why we use the feminine articles and say la foto and las fotos.
Because fotos ends in -os, why isn't the adjective masculine (bonitos)?
Adjectives must match the true grammatical gender of the noun they describe, not just the letters at the end of the word. Since fotos is a feminine noun, the adjective describing it must also be feminine and plural. That gives us bonitas.
Why do we use son instead of están to mean 'are' in this sentence?
We use son (a form of the verb ser) because we are describing a core characteristic of the photos. You generally use ser to describe lasting traits or qualities, like being beautiful. If you were talking about a temporary condition, like the photos being damaged or lost, you would use forms of the verb estar.