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Es una enfermedad grave.

Es una enfermedad grave.
It is a serious illness.
From Lesson 123:Health and emergencies (la salud, las urgencias)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Es una enfermedad grave.

Why is there no word for "it" at the beginning of the sentence?
In English, we have to use "it" as the subject, but Spanish rarely uses a specific word for "it". The verb es on its own completely covers the meaning of "it is" in this context.
Since being sick is usually temporary, shouldn't this sentence use "está" instead of "es"?
You use estar when describing how someone is feeling (like estoy enfermo for "I am sick"). However, in this sentence, you are stating what something is. Whenever you define or identify a noun (like an illness), you always use the verb ser, which gives us es.
Why is it "una enfermedad" and not "un enfermedad"?
In Spanish, nouns that end in the suffix -dad (such as enfermedad, ciudad, or verdad) are almost always feminine. Because it is a feminine noun, it requires the feminine article una.
Could I say "una enfermedad seria" instead of "grave"?
While serio translates to "serious," it is mostly used for a person's personality or a serious conversation. For medical conditions, illnesses, or injuries that are severe, Spanish speakers use the word grave.

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