Mi hermano no tiene una cuchara limpia.

Questions & Answers about Mi hermano no tiene una cuchara limpia.

Why does limpia come after cuchara?
In Spanish, describing words (adjectives) like limpia usually come after the thing they describe (the noun). In English, we say "clean spoon", but the Spanish structure is closer to "spoon clean".
Why does this sentence use limpia instead of limpio?
Adjectives have to match the gender of the noun they describe. Because cuchara (spoon) is a feminine noun, the adjective limpio (clean) changes its ending to the feminine form, limpia.
Why does the sentence say no tiene instead of using a helper word like "does not"?
Spanish doesn't use helper verbs like "do" or "does" to make a sentence negative. To say someone "does not" do something, you simply put no directly before the main verb. So, "does not have" translates directly to no tiene.
Could I use no ha instead of no tiene to mean "does not have"?
No, you must use tiene (from the verb tener) when talking about possessing or owning something. The other verb for "to have" is haber (like ha), but that is only used as a helper verb, like in "he has eaten" (ha comido).

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