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¿El perro viejo también es un problema?

¿El perro viejo también es un problema?
Is the old dog also a problem?
From Lesson 5:Indefinite articles (un, una, unos, unas)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about ¿El perro viejo también es un problema?

Why is it un problema and not una problema since the word ends in -a?
Most Spanish words ending in -a are feminine, but problema is a famous exception. It is a masculine noun, so it must take the masculine indefinite article un (a) rather than the feminine una.
Does un mean 'a' or 'one' in this sentence?
In this context it means 'a' (a problem). The Spanish word un translates to both the article 'a' and the number 'one' before masculine nouns. You just use the context of the sentence to tell which one makes sense!
Why does the sentence say perro viejo (dog old) instead of viejo perro?
In Spanish, descriptive words (adjectives) like viejo almost always come right after the thing they are describing (perro). It is like saying 'the dog, the old one'.
Why do we use es instead of está for the dog being a problem?
We use es (from the verb ser) because being a problem is treated as a core characteristic or identity of the dog here. We use está (from the verb estar) for temporary physical states, emotions, or locations.

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