Question 1

Why is joven before el hermano in this question?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish yes/no questions, the verb (es) often comes first. When the subject is a bit long, like el hermano del médico (the doctor's brother), it is very natural to put the adjective (joven) right after the verb, before the subject. Literally, it asks: Is young the brother of the doctor?

Question 2

Could I keep the normal word order and just say ¿El hermano del médico es joven?

Accepted Answer

Yes, absolutely! You can make a yes/no question just by using the normal statement word order and raising the pitch of your voice at the end. Swapping the verb to the front, as shown in this sentence, is just another very common way to ask.

Question 3

How does Spanish express an apostrophe s for possession, like in the doctor's?

Accepted Answer

Spanish does not have an apostrophe s structure for possession. Instead, you always have to flip the phrase around using the word de (of). You literally say the brother of the doctor, which translates to el hermano del médico.

Question 4

Why do we say del médico instead of de el médico?

Accepted Answer

Whenever the preposition de (of) is directly followed by the masculine word el (the), they must join together into the mandatory contraction del. This is why de plus el médico becomes del médico.

Question 5

Would the word joven change if we were talking about a sister instead of a brother?

Accepted Answer

No, adjectives that end in a consonant like joven (young) are gender-neutral. It stays exactly the same whether you are describing a male or a female. It only changes if you need to make it plural by adding -es to make jóvenes.

¿Es joven el hermano del médico?

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