Question 1

Why is it el problema and not la problema since it ends in an -a?

Accepted Answer

Many Spanish words ending in -ma are masculine, especially those that come from Greek. You just have to memorize these exceptions! Other common ones you have likely seen include el sistema (the system), el programa (the program), and el idioma (the language).

Question 2

Why does continúa have an accent mark on the ú?

Accepted Answer

The accent mark forces you to stress the u instead of blending it with the a. Without the accent mark, the u and a would combine into a single syllable (sounding like 'wa'), and the stress would naturally fall on the i (con-TIN-wa). The accent breaks them into two syllables: con-ti-NU-a.

Question 3

Is there a difference between en la realidad and en realidad?

Accepted Answer

They are very similar. En realidad is the standard way to say 'actually' or 'in fact'. Adding la to make it en la realidad sounds a bit more literal, meaning 'in the real world' or 'in actual reality' (often contrasting with something said 'in theory').

Question 4

Since this lesson teaches sin embargo (however), how would I add it to this sentence?

Accepted Answer

This sentence is already expressing a contrast, so it is a perfect fit! You can just put it at the start: Sin embargo, en la realidad el problema continúa. (However, in reality, the problem continues). Just remember that sin embargo is usually followed by a comma when placed at the beginning of a sentence.

En la realidad, el problema continúa.

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