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El mapa viejo es barato, pero el mapa nuevo es caro.

El mapa viejo es barato, pero el mapa nuevo es caro.
The old map is cheap, but the new map is expensive.
From Lesson 10:Adjective agreement·Spanish (Latin America)

Breakdown of El mapa viejo es barato, pero el mapa nuevo es caro.

ser
to be
pero
but
el mapa
the map
nuevo
new
caro
expensive
viejo
old
barato
cheap

Questions & Answers about El mapa viejo es barato, pero el mapa nuevo es caro.

Wait, why is it el mapa instead of la mapa? Doesn't it end in "-a"?
Yes, mapa ends in "-a", but it is a famous exception to the rule! It is a masculine noun. That is why we use the masculine word for "the" (el) instead of the feminine la.
Since mapa ends in "-a", why do all the adjectives end in "-o" (viejo, barato, nuevo, caro)?
Adjectives must match the actual gender of the noun they describe, not just its spelling. Because mapa is masculine, all the adjectives describing it must take the masculine "-o" ending, even though the noun itself ends in "-a".
Why does viejo come after mapa instead of before it?
In Spanish, descriptive adjectives (like those telling us the age, size, or color of something) usually come directly after the noun. So, instead of saying "the old map", you say el mapa viejo.
Why do barato and caro come after the verb instead of right next to the noun?
Just like in English, when you use the verb "to be" (es) to describe a noun, the adjective comes after the verb. In the phrase es barato, the adjective simply describes the subject earlier in the sentence.

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