Learn Spanish (Latin America): El abuelo compra un sofá.

Sofá is one of the rule-breakers! Usually, Spanish words that end in -a are feminine. However, sofá is masculine, which is why we use un (a) or el (the) with it. Other common masculine exceptions you might see include el problema and el mapa.

Why is there an accent mark on the a in sofá?

The accent mark tells you to put the spoken emphasis on the last syllable: so-FA. Without that written accent, the standard Spanish pronunciation rules would make you stress the second-to-last syllable (SO-fa).

Why do we use compra here instead of compro?

Compra is the he/she form of the verb comprar (to buy). Since the grandfather (el abuelo) is the one doing the buying, we use the he form. If you wanted to say that you buy a sofa, you would use compro.

How do I change el abuelo to mean the grandmother?

You simply change the -o at the end of the word to an -a, and use the feminine word for the, which is la. So, the grandmother is la abuela.