Question 1

What is the root word of lejanísimo, and how is this superlative formed?

Accepted Answer

The root word is the adjective lejano (distant). To form this absolute superlative, we drop the final vowel (-o) and add the suffix -ísimo. Because the noun it modifies (exoplaneta) is masculine and singular, the adjective also takes the masculine singular form: lejanísimo.

Question 2

Is there a difference between saying es muy lejano and es lejanísimo?

Accepted Answer

Yes, there is a difference in intensity. While muy lejano just means "very distant," the -ísimo suffix creates an absolute superlative. This means the quality is pushed to its absolute limit, translating closer to "extremely distant," "incredibly distant," or "distant to the highest possible degree."

Question 3

We usually use estar for location and distance. Why does this sentence use es?

Accepted Answer

You are right that expressing a physical location usually requires estar (as in El exoplaneta está lejos). However, here we are using the adjective lejano (distant) to describe an inherent characteristic or category of the planet, which requires ser. If we wanted to use the adverb lejos (far) with a superlative, we would switch back to estar: Este exoplaneta está lejísimos.

Question 4

Exoplaneta ends in -a, so why do we use the masculine este instead of esta?

Accepted Answer

Just like its root word planeta, exoplaneta is a masculine noun despite ending in -a. This is a common exception for many Spanish words of Greek origin that end in -ta, -pa, or -ma (like el mapa, el problema, and el cometa). Therefore, it takes the masculine demonstrative este and the masculine adjective ending in lejanísimo.

Este exoplaneta es lejanísimo.

Breakdown of Este exoplaneta es lejanísimo.

Questions & Answers about Este exoplaneta es lejanísimo.

Learn Este exoplaneta es lejanísimo and more in Spanish