Questions & Answers about Las orejas del perro son muy pequeñas.
Why does it say del perro instead of using an apostrophe-s like in English?
Spanish doesn't use an apostrophe-s to show possession. Instead, you have to phrase it as 'the ears of the dog' (las orejas de el perro). Whenever the word de (of) is followed immediately by el (the masculine 'the'), Spanish squishes them together into the single word del. Since perro is a masculine word, shouldn't it be pequeños instead of pequeñas?
In Spanish, describing words (adjectives) always match the gender and number of the noun they are actually describing. Here, the word 'small' describes the ears (las orejas, which is feminine plural), not the dog (el perro). Therefore, it must be the feminine plural pequeñas. Why do we use son instead of están for 'are'?
In Spanish, you use the verb ser (which gives us son here) for inherent or relatively permanent characteristics, like physical size, shape, or color. You use estar (which gives us están) for temporary states, feelings, or physical locations. I've also seen the word oído for 'ear'. Why use orejas here?
Spanish has two different words for 'ear'. Oreja refers to the physical, outer part of the ear that you can see. Oído refers to the inner ear or the actual sense of hearing. Since we are talking about the physical size of the dog's ears, orejas is the correct choice. Learn Las orejas del perro son muy pequeñas and more in Spanish
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