Question 1

Why do we use es for being fat or slim? Isn't weight something that can change?

Accepted Answer

Even though weight can change, Spanish treats body type (like being fat, slim, tall, or short) as a basic physical characteristic of a person. For identifying characteristics and descriptions, we always use the verb ser (here, es), rather than estar, which is used for temporary states, locations, or emotions.

Question 2

Why is the second part just es delgado and not él es delgado?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, you don't need to use the subject pronoun (like él for he) if it's already clear from the context. Since we just talked about el hombre (the man), the verb es alone implies he is. Dropping the pronoun makes the sentence sound much more natural.

Question 3

Why does the word no go before the verb es?

Accepted Answer

In English, we usually put not after the verb (is not). But in Spanish, to make a sentence negative, you simply put no directly before the main verb. So is not becomes no es.

Question 4

How would this sentence change if we were talking about a woman?

Accepted Answer

Spanish describing words (adjectives) have to match the gender of the person they describe. Since we are talking about el hombre (a masculine noun), the adjectives end in -o: gordo and delgado. For a woman (la mujer), they would change to end in -a: La mujer no es gorda, es delgada.

Question 5

Is the letter h in hombre pronounced?

Accepted Answer

No, the letter h is always completely silent in Spanish. You pronounce hombre starting directly with the o sound (like OM-bray).

El hombre no es gordo, es delgado.

Breakdown of El hombre no es gordo, es delgado.

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