Question 1

Why does the sentence use el cuello (the neck) instead of su cuello (his neck)?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, when talking about body parts, you almost always use the definite article (el, la, los, las) instead of possessive words like su (his/her). Because the sentence is already about el abuelo, it is obvious whose neck it is.

Question 2

I learned that tiene frío means 'he is cold'. Is that what is happening here?

Accepted Answer

Not exactly! While tiene frío uses the noun frío (coldness) to mean someone feels cold, in this sentence frío is an adjective describing the neck (el cuello). It means the neck itself is physically cold.

Question 3

Would the word frío change if a different body part was cold?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Because frío is acting as an adjective here, it must match the gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) of the body part it describes. For example, if his hands (which are feminine and plural) were cold, it would be tiene las manos muy frías.

Question 4

Could we use the verb estar (to be) to say his neck is cold?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you could say su cuello está muy frío, but using the verb tener (to have) followed by the body part and an adjective is a very natural and common way in Spanish to describe a physical condition.

El abuelo tiene el cuello muy frío.

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