Breakdown of El niño tiene la frente pequeña y la barbilla grande.
el niño
the boy / the child
y
and
grande
big
pequeño
small
tener
to have
la frente
the forehead
la barbilla
the chin
Questions & Answers about El niño tiene la frente pequeña y la barbilla grande.
Why is it la frente and not el frente?
Frente is a noun that changes meaning based on its gender. As a feminine noun (la frente), it means the forehead. If you use it as a masculine noun (el frente), it means the front, such as a weather front or the front lines of a conflict.
The English translation says 'a small forehead', so why does Spanish use la frente instead of una frente?
When describing physical features using the verb tener (to have), Spanish strongly prefers using the definite article (el, la, los, las) rather than the indefinite article (un, una). A literal translation would be 'he has the small forehead and the big chin', which is the most natural way to describe physical traits in Spanish.
Since barbilla is feminine, why doesn't grande change to match its gender?
Adjectives that end in -e in their singular form, like grande, are gender-neutral. They stay exactly the same whether they describe a masculine or a feminine noun. You only need to change them by adding an -s if the noun is plural.
Is there another word for 'chin' commonly used in Spain?
Yes, you will also hear el mentón, which is a direct synonym for la barbilla. Both are perfectly understood and common in Spain, though barbilla is often preferred in everyday descriptions of physical features.
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