Question 1

Both incansable and imparable end in -able. Does this suffix work the same way it does in English?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and it is a massive vocabulary builder! In Spanish, adding -able to the root of an -ar verb means "capable of being [verb]ed." So cansar (to tire) becomes cansable, and parar (to stop) becomes parable. When you add the negative prefixes, you get "tireless" and "unstoppable." If you are working with an -er or -ir verb, the suffix changes to -ible.

Question 2

Why does the negative prefix change from in- in incansable to im- in imparable?

Accepted Answer

Just like in English, the Spanish prefix in- changes to im- whenever it comes immediately before a word starting with p or b. This spelling rule exists simply because it is much easier for your mouth to pronounce an "m" sound right before those specific letters.

Question 3

Since an equipo is made up of multiple people, is it ever okay to use the plural verb son instead of es?

Accepted Answer

No, it must remain strictly singular in Spanish. While English sometimes treats collective nouns as plural (like saying "the team are playing well" in British English), Spanish requires singular verbs and singular adjectives for collective nouns like equipo, gente, or familia.

Question 4

To practice this lesson's topic, how would I add a reduplicative subjunctive clause to say, "No matter what happens, the tireless team is unstoppable"?

Accepted Answer

You would use the pattern [verb in subjunctive] lo que [same verb in subjunctive]. For "no matter what happens" or "come what may," you use the verb pasar (to happen) to create the phrase pase lo que pase. The full sentence would be: Pase lo que pase, el equipo incansable es imparable.

El equipo incansable es imparable.

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