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Ellos ordeñan la oveja y la vaca.

Ellos ordeñan la oveja y la vaca.
They milk the sheep and the cow.
From Lesson 447:Delayed inception (hasta)·Spanish (Latin America)

Breakdown of Ellos ordeñan la oveja y la vaca.

y
and
ellos
they
ordeñar
to milk
la oveja
the sheep
la vaca
the cow

Questions & Answers about Ellos ordeñan la oveja y la vaca.

Why is there no personal a before the animals here?
We use the personal a for people and specific pets you have an emotional connection to. Since farm animals like la oveja and la vaca are generally viewed as resources rather than personal companions, they function as regular direct objects and do not trigger the use of the a.
Why do we repeat la in la oveja y la vaca?
In Spanish, you generally must repeat the definite article before each noun in a series if they refer to distinct things. While in English we can group them and say 'the sheep and cow', Spanish requires the article for each noun: la oveja y la vaca.
Can the verb ordeñar be used metaphorically like 'to milk' is in English?
Yes! Just like in English, ordeñar literally means to extract milk from an animal, but it can also be used metaphorically to mean exploiting a person, situation, or system for all it is worth (for example, 'milking' a business or 'milking' someone for money).

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