Learn Spanish (Latin America): Los hermanos están enfermos.

Los hermanos están enfermos.

The brothers are sick.

Breakdown of Los hermanos están enfermos.

el hermano

the brother

los

the (masculine plural)

estar

to be (location/state)

enfermo

sick

Questions & Answers about Los hermanos están enfermos.

Why do we use están here instead of son for "are"?

In Spanish, there are two verbs that mean "to be": ser and estar. We use estar for temporary conditions, like physical and mental states. Since being sick is a temporary physical state, we use están (they are) instead of son.

Could los hermanos mean "the siblings" instead of just "the brothers"?

Yes! In Spanish, when referring to a mixed group of males and females, you always use the masculine plural form. So, los hermanos can mean a group of just brothers, or a mixed group of brothers and sisters.

Why does enfermos have an "s" at the end?

In Spanish, describing words (adjectives) must match the noun they describe in both gender (masculine or feminine) and amount (singular or plural). Since los hermanos is plural, the adjective enfermo (sick) must also be plural, becoming enfermos.

Why does están have an accent mark on the "a"?

The accent mark tells you which part of the word gets the most emphasis when speaking. It means you pronounce it es-TÁN. Without the written accent mark, the standard pronunciation rules would force the stress onto the first syllable (ES-tan), which would be incorrect for this word.