Learn Spanish (Latin America): Ella estudia chino ahora.

Ella estudia chino ahora.

She is studying Chinese now.

Breakdown of Ella estudia chino ahora.

Questions & Answers about Ella estudia chino ahora.

The translation says "is studying," but isn't estudia just "studies"?

In Spanish, the simple present tense can mean both things. Ella estudia can translate to "She studies" (a general habit) or "She is studying" (happening right now). Because we added ahora (now), it makes sense to translate it as "is studying" here.

How does the verb estudiar change to match Ella?

To conjugate a regular -ar verb for él, ella, or usted (he, she, or you formal), you drop the -ar ending and add an -a. So, the dictionary verb estudiar becomes estudia.

Why isn't the word for Chinese (chino) capitalized?

In Spanish, languages and nationalities are never capitalized. You will write inglés, español, and chino with lowercase letters, which is a big difference from English!

Could I just say Estudia chino ahora without the word Ella?

Yes! Because the -a ending of estudia already tells us the subject is "he," "she," or "you (formal)," you can drop the word Ella if the person you are talking about is already clear from the context of your conversation.