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La nariz del gato es pequeña y negra.

La nariz del gato es pequeña y negra.
The cat's nose is small and black.
From Lesson 64:The Human Body: Head and Arms·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about La nariz del gato es pequeña y negra.

Why do we use del here instead of an apostrophe 's like in English?
Spanish doesn't use an apostrophe 's to show possession. Instead of saying "the cat's nose", you say "the nose of the cat". You use de (of), and because gato uses the masculine el (the), they combine into the single word del.
Why are pequeña and negra feminine if gato is masculine?
The adjectives describe the nose (la nariz), not the cat! Because la nariz is a feminine noun, the describing words must match its gender, which is why they end in -a (pequeña, negra).
Why do we use es instead of está to say "is"?
Es is a form of the verb ser, which is used for permanent characteristics and basic physical descriptions. Since the size and color of the nose are core features of the cat, we use ser rather than estar (which is used for temporary states or locations).
Nariz doesn't end in -a or -o. How do I know its gender?
While most words ending in -a are feminine and -o are masculine, words ending in -z can be either. Nariz happens to be feminine, which is why it uses la. You just have to memorize the gender of this word when you learn it!

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