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Ella escribe una carta en español.

Ella escribe una carta en español.
She writes a letter in Spanish.
From Lesson 10:Regular '-ir' verbs (-o, -es, -e...)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Ella escribe una carta en español.

Why does the verb escribe end in '-e' if it comes from an '-ir' verb?
The infinitive (base form) of the verb is escribir. To say "she writes" (ella), we drop the -ir and add -e to get escribe. Notice that for él, ella, and usted, regular -ir verbs use the exact same -e ending as regular -er verbs!
Is the word ella absolutely necessary in this sentence?
Not always. In Spanish, you can often drop subject words like yo, tú, or ella if the context is clear. However, because escribe can mean "he writes", "she writes", or "you (formal) write", using ella here makes it perfectly clear that "she" is doing the writing.
Does carta mean "card" in English?
It is a bit of a false friend here! While carta can mean a playing card or a restaurant menu, in this context it means a "letter" (the kind you write and send in the mail). The Spanish word for a greeting card or credit card is tarjeta.
Why don't we use el before español here?
While languages often need the word for "the" (el) in Spanish, we usually drop it right after the preposition en (in). So, "in Spanish" is simply en español, not en el español.

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