Breakdown of Ese pájaro tiene el pico largo, o sea, no es un búho.
ser
to be
no
no, not
tener
to have
un
a, an (masculine)
el pájaro
the bird
largo
long
ese
that (masculine)
o sea
in other words
el búho
the owl
el pico
the beak
Questions & Answers about Ese pájaro tiene el pico largo, o sea, no es un búho.
Why does it say "tiene el pico largo" (has the long beak) instead of "tiene un pico largo"?
When describing physical features or body parts of people and animals, Spanish often uses the definite article (el, la, los, las) instead of the indefinite article (un, una). The structure literally translates to "has the beak long." You could say tiene un pico largo, but tiene el pico largo sounds much more natural in Spanish.
What exactly does the phrase "o sea" mean here?
O sea is an extremely common connecting phrase that means "in other words," "that is to say," or "I mean." It is used to clarify or explain something you just said. It comes from the verb ser (to be) in the subjunctive mood (sea), literally meaning "or let it be."
Why does the word "búho" have an accent mark on the 'u'?
The accent mark shows that the word is pronounced as two separate syllables: bú-o. Because the letter 'h' is silent in Spanish, the 'u' and 'o' would normally blend together into a single syllable (a diphthong). The written accent breaks that blend, putting the spoken stress directly on the 'u'.
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