Breakdown of Los gemelos son iguales, pero tienen personalidades muy distintas.
ser
to be
muy
very
pero
but
tener
to have
igual
the same, equal (+ que)
distinto
different (+ de)
el gemelo
the twin
la personalidad
the personality
Questions & Answers about Los gemelos son iguales, pero tienen personalidades muy distintas.
Why is son used instead of están with iguales?
We use son (from ser) because being identical is an inherent characteristic of these twins. If you said están iguales, it would mean they look alike right now (for example, they happen to be wearing the exact same outfit today).
Does gemelos always mean 'identical twins'?
Generally, yes. In Spanish, gemelos is typically used for identical twins, while mellizos is used for fraternal (non-identical) twins. Even though the word gemelos already implies they are identical, adding son iguales emphasizes exactly how physically alike they are before contrasting it with their personalities.
Could I use diferentes instead of distintas here?
Absolutely. Diferentes and distintas are totally interchangeable in this sentence. Just remember that distintas changes to match the feminine plural noun personalidades, whereas diferentes only changes for number because it ends in -e.
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