Tengo los fósforos y la brújula en la mochila.

Questions & Answers about Tengo los fósforos y la brújula en la mochila.

Why does the sentence use la mochila instead of mi mochila?
In Spanish, it is very common to use definite articles (el, la, los, las) instead of possessive adjectives (mi, tu) for clothing, body parts, and everyday personal items when the owner is obvious. Since the sentence starts with Tengo (I have), it is already clear whose backpack it is.
I learned the word cerillas for matches. Is fósforos different?
They mean the exact same thing! Cerillas is the standard word used in Spain, but in Latin America, you will almost exclusively hear and use fósforos.
Why does the word brújula have a written accent mark?
The word brújula is stressed on the third-to-last syllable (brú-ju-la). In Spanish, words with this stress pattern always require a written accent mark so you know exactly where to put the emphasis.

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