Breakdown of Mi padre es alto y delgado.
y
and
alto
tall / high
el padre
the father / the parents
mi
my
delgado
thin, slim
Questions & Answers about Mi padre es alto y delgado.
Since we are learning comparatives, how would I use this sentence to say my father is taller than my brother?
You would use the comparative structure you're currently learning: más + adjective + que. To say "My father is taller than my brother," you would change it to: Mi padre es más alto que mi hermano. In Spanish, you literally say he is "more tall than" your brother.
Why use es instead of está for "is" in this sentence?
We use es (which comes from the verb ser) because we are describing physical characteristics and fundamental traits. Being tall and thin are seen as a normal, lasting description of the father. If we used está (from the verb estar), it would sound strange, almost like he is only temporarily tall or thin today!
Why do both alto and delgado end in -o?
In Spanish, describing words (adjectives) must match the noun they describe in both gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural). Because padre (father) is a masculine singular noun, both adjectives take the masculine singular ending -o. If you were describing your mother (madre), you would say alta y delgada.
Would mi change if I wanted to say "My parents are tall and thin"?
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