Learn Spanish (Spain): Mi suegra es simpática e inteligente. - My mother-in-law is nice and intelligent.

In Spanish, the word for 'and' is usually y. However, when the next word begins with an 'i' or 'hi' sound, you change it to e to avoid a choppy double 'ee' sound. Since inteligente starts with an 'i', we say e inteligente.

Does simpática mean 'sympathetic'?

No, this is a common false friend. Simpática means 'nice', 'friendly', or 'pleasant'. If you want to say someone is sympathetic or understanding in Spanish, you would use a word like comprensiva.

Why doesn't inteligente change to inteligenta to match the feminine word suegra?

Adjectives that end in -e in their dictionary form do not change to show gender. The word inteligente stays exactly the same whether it describes a woman (like suegra) or a man.

How do you say 'father-in-law' based on this sentence?

In Spanish, you can often change the final letter to switch the gender of a family member. By changing the feminine 'a' in suegra to a masculine 'o', you get suegro, which means father-in-law.