Los zapatos nuevos son negros.

Questions & Answers about Los zapatos nuevos son negros.

Why is it zapatos nuevos and not nuevos zapatos?
In Spanish, descriptive adjectives like nuevos (new) usually come after the noun they describe. So instead of saying "new shoes", you say the equivalent of "shoes new" (zapatos nuevos).
Why do nuevos and negros both end in -os?
Adjectives in Spanish have to match the noun they describe in both gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural). Since zapatos (shoes) is a masculine plural noun, the adjectives nuevo and negro must change to their masculine plural forms: nuevos and negros.
Does negros still have to match zapatos even though it is separated by the verb?
Yes! Even when an adjective comes after the verb, it is still describing the noun. Because the sentence is about the masculine plural zapatos, the color must also be masculine and plural (negros).
Why do we use son instead of están here?
Son comes from the verb ser (to be). In Spanish, we use ser to talk about basic traits and physical characteristics, like color. Since being black is a permanent characteristic of these shoes, we use son rather than están.

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