Breakdown of Mi abuela es alegre y simpática.
y
and
la abuela
the grandmother
simpático
nice / friendly (personality)
mi
my
alegre
cheerful (≠ contento: pleased)
Questions & Answers about Mi abuela es alegre y simpática.
This lesson focuses on phrases like me alegra que. How does the word alegre in this sentence relate to that?
Why is there no subjunctive in this sentence?
You need the subjunctive when expressing an emotion about someone else's action, which usually requires two clauses separated by que (for example: Me alegra que mi abuela sea simpática - "It makes me happy that my grandmother is nice"). This sentence is just a straightforward, factual description of her personality, so it uses the normal indicative verb es.
Could I say Mi abuela está alegre instead of es alegre?
You could, but it changes the meaning! Using ser (es alegre) means she is a cheerful person by nature. If you use estar (está alegre), it means she is in a happy mood right now (or in some contexts, that she is slightly drunk!). Because it is paired with simpática, which describes a permanent personality trait, es makes the most sense here.
Does simpática mean "sympathetic"?
No, this is a very common "false friend" for English speakers. Simpática means "nice," "friendly," or "likable." If you want to say someone is sympathetic (as in showing understanding of someone's feelings), you would use a word like comprensiva.
Learn Mi abuela es alegre y simpática and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free