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Questions & Answers about El hielo es frío.
Why do we use es instead of está here?
Why do we say El hielo instead of just Hielo if we mean 'Ice' in general?
In English, we usually drop the word 'the' when making general statements like 'Ice is cold'. In Spanish, you must include a definite article (el, la, los, or las) when talking about general concepts or entire substances. That is why it must be El hielo.
Would the word frío change if we were describing a feminine noun?
Yes! Because hielo is a masculine noun, we use the masculine adjective frío. If we were talking about snow, which is feminine (la nieve), the adjective must change to match its gender: La nieve es fría.
Why does hielo start with an 'h' if it is not pronounced?
In Spanish, the letter 'h' is always silent. It is kept in words like hielo mostly for historical spelling reasons. When you read it, you just start right at the 'i' sound, pronouncing it similar to 'YEE-eh-lo'.