Learn Spanish (Spain): El aula de mi hijo es muy pequeña.

El aula de mi hijo es muy pequeña.

My son's classroom is very small.

Breakdown of El aula de mi hijo es muy pequeña.

Questions & Answers about El aula de mi hijo es muy pequeña.

Why does the sentence use El if aula is a feminine noun?

In Spanish, feminine nouns that begin with a stressed "a" or "ha" sound use the masculine article el in the singular. This makes it easier to pronounce by avoiding two "a" sounds crashing together. Other common examples you might know are el agua (the water) and el hambre (the hunger).

If it is El aula, why does the adjective end in "a" (pequeña)?

Even though aula uses el for pronunciation reasons, it is still a completely feminine noun! Adjectives always have to match the true gender of the noun. Because aula is inherently feminine, we must use the feminine adjective pequeña.

If I want to talk about multiple classrooms, do I say los aulas?

No, you would say las aulas. The rule for using the masculine article only applies to the singular. In the plural, the "s" on the end of las separates the two "a" sounds, so we go back to using the normal feminine plural article, as in las aulas pequeñas.

Why do we use es instead of está for "is very small"?

We use es (from the verb ser) because the size of the classroom is considered a defining physical characteristic, not a temporary state or a geographical location. For describing the inherent physical traits of places and objects, always use ser.