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El monumento es muy viejo.

El monumento es muy viejo.
The monument is very old.
From Lesson 28:Sightseeing (la plaza, la catedral)·Spanish (Spain)

Breakdown of El monumento es muy viejo.

ser
to be
viejo
old
muy
very
el monumento
the monument

Questions & Answers about El monumento es muy viejo.

Why use es here instead of está?
Es comes from the verb ser (to be). In Spanish, we use ser to talk about permanent characteristics or fundamental descriptions of a thing. Since being old is a core trait of the monument, we use es. We use the other verb for "to be" (estar) for temporary states or locations.
Could I use mucho instead of muy to say "very old"?
No, you must use muy. Muy means "very" and is always used before adjectives (describing words like viejo) and adverbs. Mucho means "a lot" or "much" and is used with nouns or after verbs.
Does the word viejo change if I am talking about a feminine noun, like a house?
Yes! In Spanish, adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. Because el monumento is a masculine noun, we use the masculine form viejo. If you were talking about a house (la casa), which is feminine, you would change it to vieja (la casa es muy vieja).
Is it okay to use viejo to describe old people too?
You can, but it can sound a bit rude, similar to calling someone "an old man" in English. When talking about people, it is usually more polite to use mayor (older). For objects, animals, and places like el monumento, viejo is the perfect word to use.

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