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¿Qué país tiene el río más largo del continente?

¿Qué país tiene el río más largo del continente?
What country has the longest river on the continent?
From Lesson 77:Relative superlatives (el más... de)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about ¿Qué país tiene el río más largo del continente?

Why is the word order el río más largo instead of el más largo río?
In Spanish relative superlatives, the noun usually goes right after the article (el, la, los, las). So, the English phrase "the longest river" is literally constructed as "the river most long" (el río más largo).
Why do we use del continente instead of en el continente?
When pointing out the group or place that something is the "most" or "least" of, Spanish uses the preposition de (of). While English says the longest river "in" the continent, Spanish says "of" the continent. Since de and el combine into the contraction del, we get del continente.
Why use Qué país instead of Cuál país?
When asking "what" or "which" directly before a noun like país, you almost always use qué. Cuál is generally used when followed by a verb (like es) or the word de, rather than right next to a noun.
Wait, doesn't largo mean "large"?
It is a common trap! Largo is a false friend that actually means "long". If you wanted to ask about the largest or biggest river, you would use grande. This is why el río más largo translates to the longest river.

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