Breakdown of No es médico, es enfermero.
Questions & Answers about No es médico, es enfermero.
Why is there no word for "he" at the beginning of the sentence?
In Spanish, the verb es can mean "he is", "she is", or "it is". Because the verb form often makes the subject clear, pronouns like él (he) are usually dropped unless needed for emphasis. We also know the subject is a "he" here because the professions are in their masculine forms. Where is the word for "a"? Why isn't it "es un médico"?
In English, we say someone is "a doctor" or "a nurse". But in Spanish, you drop the words un or una when simply stating a person's profession. You only add them back if you describe the profession, like saying someone is a good doctor. How do we know for sure this sentence is about a man?
The words médico and enfermero end in -o, which is the typical masculine noun ending. If the sentence were about a woman, the words would change to match her gender: No es médica, es enfermera. Why do we use es instead of está for someone's job?
Spanish has two verbs for "to be". You use ser (the verb es belongs to this family) for fundamental characteristics and identities, which includes professions. You would use estar for temporary states or locations. Learn No es médico, es enfermero and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free