Questions & Answers about El río es grande y está limpio.
Why does this sentence use two different words (es and está) to say "is"?
In Spanish, there are two verbs for "to be". We use es (from the verb ser) to describe permanent or defining characteristics, like the river being big (grande). We use está (from the verb estar) to talk about temporary states or conditions, like the river being clean (limpio) right now, since it could get dirty later.
Why is there no word for "it" before está limpio?
Why does limpio end in "o" while grande ends in "e"?
Adjectives change their ending to match the gender of the noun they describe. Because el río is a masculine noun, we use the masculine form limpio (it would change to limpia for a feminine noun). However, adjectives that end in "-e", like grande, are gender-neutral and use the exact same form for both masculine and feminine nouns.
Why does río have an accent mark on the "í"?
Normally in Spanish, a weak vowel like "i" next to a strong vowel like "o" blends together into a single syllable. The written accent mark breaks this rule, telling you to pronounce the word as two separate syllables with the stress on the first one: RÍ-o.