Mi mamá vive en México.

Questions & Answers about Mi mamá vive en México.

Since "mamá" is a feminine noun, shouldn't the word for "my" be feminine too?
Some possessive adjectives like nuestro (our) do change to match feminine nouns (becoming nuestra). However, mi (my), tu (your), and su (his/her/their) are exceptions! They only change to match singular or plural nouns (mi vs. mis). So whether it's mi papá (my dad) or mi mamá (my mom), it always stays mi.
Why does "mamá" have an accent mark? Does it really matter?
Yes, it matters a lot! The written accent tells you to stress the final syllable: ma-. If you leave the accent mark off (mama), the stress naturally falls on the first syllable (MA-ma), which translates to "breast." Always remember the accent when writing about your mom!
Why do we use "vive" instead of "vivo"?
Vive is the "he/she/it" form of the verb vivir (to live). Because the subject doing the living is mi mamá (she), we drop the -ir ending from the dictionary form and add -e. If you were talking about where you live, you would use the "I" form: vivo.
Why is "México" spelled with an "x" when it sounds like an English "h"?
Hundreds of years ago, the letter "x" in Spanish made a "sh" sound. As the language evolved over the centuries, that pronunciation shifted to the breathy "h" sound used today (which Spanish normally spells with the letter "j"). México kept its traditional, historical spelling with the "x", but is pronounced as if it were written Méjico.

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