Learn Spanish (Latin America): Doce estudiantes pueden compartir tres computadoras. - Twelve students can share three computers.

Doce estudiantes pueden compartir tres computadoras.

Twelve students can share three computers.

Breakdown of Doce estudiantes pueden compartir tres computadoras.

Questions & Answers about Doce estudiantes pueden compartir tres computadoras.

Do the numbers doce and tres change depending on whether the noun is masculine or feminine?

No. Most numbers, including doce (twelve) and tres (three), never change their endings for gender. You use the exact same word whether you are counting masculine nouns or feminine nouns like computadoras. The only number from this lesson that changes for gender is uno (one).

Why is compartir left in its full dictionary form instead of being conjugated?

When two verbs are used together to express a single idea (like "can share"), only the first verb gets conjugated. Here, pueden (they can) is conjugated to match the twelve students, so the second verb, compartir (to share), stays in its unconjugated infinitive form.

Why is it pueden? Isn't the verb for "to be able to" or "can" spelled poder?

Yes, the dictionary form is poder. However, it is a stem-changing verb. When you conjugate it for most pronouns, the o in the middle changes to ue. Since we are talking about doce estudiantes (they), poder changes to pueden.

Why aren't there words for "the" (like las) before the numbers in this sentence?