Learn Spanish (Latin America): Él descansa hoy porque está enfermo.

Él descansa hoy porque está enfermo.

He rests today because he is sick.

Breakdown of Él descansa hoy porque está enfermo.

él

estar

to be (location/state)

Questions & Answers about Él descansa hoy porque está enfermo.

Why is porque written as one word without an accent mark here?

In Spanish, porque written as a single word without an accent means "because." It is used to give a reason, just like in this sentence. If you want to ask "why?", you would use two words with an accent: por qué.

Why do we use está for "is" instead of es?

We use está (from the verb estar) because being sick is a physical condition or state. You generally use estar for temporary states, locations, and feelings. If you used es (from the verb ser), it would sound strange, as if being a sick person was his permanent identity!

Why does Él have an accent mark on the E?

The written accent mark distinguishes Él (He) from the word el (the). They are pronounced exactly the same, but the accent tells you it's the pronoun "he" rather than the article "the" (like in el chico).

If the sentence were about a woman, would the word enfermo change?

Yes! Adjectives in Spanish must match the gender of the person they describe. Since él (he) is masculine, we use enfermo. If the sentence started with Ella (She), it would end with the feminine form, enferma.