El perro viejo siempre busca un hueso.

Questions & Answers about El perro viejo siempre busca un hueso.

Why is there no Spanish word for "for" after busca?
In Spanish, the verb buscar already means "to look for" or "to search for." You don't need to add a preposition like por or para after it. You just put the thing you are looking for directly after the verb, like busca un hueso.
Why does viejo come after perro instead of before it?
In Spanish, descriptive adjectives like viejo (old) usually come after the noun they describe. So, "the old dog" becomes el perro viejo. Placing the adjective after the noun is the standard rule for physical descriptions.
Could I put siempre at the end of the sentence instead?
Yes, but placing siempre right before the verb, as in siempre busca, is the most common and natural-sounding word order in Spanish. You can say busca un hueso siempre, but that puts a much heavier emphasis on the word "always."
I've learned that calling a person viejo can be rude. Is it okay to use it for an animal?
Yes, it is perfectly fine to use viejo for animals and objects. For people, however, it can sound disrespectful, so Spanish speakers in Spain usually use the word mayor (older) to describe an elderly person more politely.

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