Breakdown of Escribo con un bolígrafo negro.
con
with / just by (+ -ing)
negro
black
un
a, an, some
escribir
to write
el bolígrafo
the pen
Questions & Answers about Escribo con un bolígrafo negro.
Why is there no word for "I" before escribo?
Why is it bolígrafo negro instead of negro bolígrafo?
In Spanish, descriptive words (adjectives) like negro (black) almost always come after the thing they are describing. So instead of "black pen", you say "pen black" (bolígrafo negro).
How do I know to use un instead of una here?
Bolígrafo is a masculine noun, which you can usually guess because it ends in -o. Because it is masculine, you must use the masculine word for "a" or "an", which is un. If the noun were feminine, you would use una.
Could escribo also mean "I am writing" right now?
Yes! In Spanish, the simple present tense (escribo) is often used to talk about actions happening right now, as well as general habits. So this sentence can translate to "I write with a black pen" or "I am writing with a black pen" depending on the context.
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