Learn Spanish (Latin America): Mi madre compra yogur y leche en la tienda. - My mother buys yogurt and milk at the store.

Mi madre compra yogur y leche en la tienda.

My mother buys yogurt and milk at the store.

Breakdown of Mi madre compra yogur y leche en la tienda.

Questions & Answers about Mi madre compra yogur y leche en la tienda.

Why does the verb end in '-a' (compra) here instead of '-e'?

The verb is comprar (to buy), which is a regular '-ar' verb. For ella (she / my mother), regular '-ar' verbs end in '-a'. If it were a regular '-er' verb from this lesson (like comer), it would end in '-e' (come).

Why don't we say el yogur y la leche?

Just like in English, you don't need 'the' (el or la) when you're talking about an unspecified amount of something. Because she is just buying some yogurt and milk in general, we leave the articles out.

How do I know if a word like leche is masculine or feminine since it ends in 'e'?

Words ending in 'e' don't follow a strict gender rule, so you just have to memorize them as you go. Leche is feminine, so if you needed to use an article with it, it would be la leche.

Does en mean 'in' or 'at'?

It can mean both! The preposition en is used for 'in', 'on', and 'at'. In this sentence, en la tienda translates most naturally to 'at the store', though 'in the store' makes perfect sense too.