Learn Spanish (Latin America): La pera es una fruta verde.

La pera es una fruta verde.

The pear is a green fruit.

Breakdown of La pera es una fruta verde.

Questions & Answers about La pera es una fruta verde.

Why is it fruta verde and not verde fruta?

In Spanish, descriptive adjectives like colors usually come after the noun they describe. Because of this rule, "green fruit" becomes fruta verde.

Since pera and fruta are feminine words, shouldn't verde end in "a"?

Adjectives that end in -e (like verde) or a consonant (like azul) are neutral. They are used for both masculine and feminine nouns without changing their ending. So it is la fruta verde just like it would be el limón verde (the green lime).

Why do we use es instead of está to say "is"?

We use es (from the verb ser) to describe fundamental characteristics or to define what something is. Being a green fruit is a basic fact about this pear, not a temporary state or a physical location (which would require a form of the verb estar).

Why do we use the word una here?

Just like in English where we say "a green fruit", Spanish uses the indefinite article una (meaning "a" or "an"). We use una instead of un because it must match the feminine gender of the noun fruta.