Learn Spanish (Latin America): Un amigo suyo está muy nervioso por la competencia. - A friend of his is very nervous because of the competition.

Un amigo suyo está muy nervioso por la competencia.

A friend of his is very nervous because of the competition.

Breakdown of Un amigo suyo está muy nervioso por la competencia.

to be (location/state)

muy

very

Questions & Answers about Un amigo suyo está muy nervioso por la competencia.

Why do we say un amigo suyo instead of su amigo?

We use suyo after the noun to mean "of his" rather than just "his". While su amigo means "his friend" (a specific friend), un amigo suyo means "a friend of his" (one of several friends). This is called a post-posed possessive adjective because it comes after the noun.

Could suyo mean something other than "his" in this sentence?

Yes! Just like the short form su, suyo can mean "of his", "of hers", "of yours" (formal), or "of theirs". The translation says "of his" based on context we cannot see here. If you needed to be perfectly clear that it was a male's friend, you could replace suyo with de él, making it un amigo de él.

Why is the friend's nervousness described with está instead of es?

We use estar to talk about emotions and moods because they are conditions or temporary states. Even if this friend is a generally nervous person, feeling nervous right now about this specific competition requires está.

Why do we use por instead of para before la competencia?