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Mi familia es grande My family is big
Adjective agreement: adjectives agree in GENDER and NUMBER with the noun. Those ending in -o/-a change for gender (hermano alto, hermana alta); those in -e or a consonant change only for number (grande → grandes, joven → jóvenes). New vocabulary: tall, short, pretty, young, older, house, to live, in, with, but. Culture: "La familia". Pronunciation corner: reading sentences with agreement.
Dialogue
Mi familia es grande — My Family Is Big
- Carlos Mi familia es grande. Vivo en una casa grande con mis padres. My family is big. I live in a big house with my parents.
- Mike Mi familia es pequeña. Vivo en una casa pequeño. My family is small. I live in a small house. (slip: casa pequeño)
- Carlos Es "casa pequeña" — casa es femenina. ¿Tu hermana es alta? It's "casa pequeña" — casa is feminine. Is your sister tall?
- Mike Sí, mi hermana es alta y muy bonita. Yes, my sister is tall and very pretty.
Dialogue
Una casa con la familia — A House with the Family
- Lucía Yo vivo con mis padres y mis abuelos. I live with my parents and my grandparents.
- Mike ¿Vives con tus abuelos? ¡Tu casa es grande! You live with your grandparents? Your house is big!
- Lucía Sí, es grande pero bonita. Mis abuelos son mayores. Yes, it's big but pretty. My grandparents are older.
- Mike Mi abuela también vive con nosotros. Es muy joven. My grandmother also lives with us. She is very young.
Vocabulary
| 汉字 | Pinyin | POS | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| alto / alta | adj. | tall | |
| bajo / baja | adj. | short | |
| bonito / bonita | adj. | pretty | |
| joven | adj. | young | |
| mayor | adj. | older, elder | |
| casa | n.f. | house (f) | |
| vivir | v. | to live | |
| en | prep. | in, on | |
| con | prep. | with | |
| pero | conj. | but |
Grammar
La concordancia del adjetivo Adjective agreement (gender + number)
Los adjetivos concuerdan con el sustantivo en GÉNERO y NÚMERO. Los adjetivos que terminan en -o cambian a -a para el femenino: alto → alta, bonito → bonita. Para el plural se añade -s: altos, altas. Los adjetivos en -e o consonante (grande, joven, mayor) NO cambian por género, solo por número (grande → grandes). Así: mi hermano es alto, mi hermana es alta, mis hermanos son altos.
Adjectives agree with the noun in GENDER and NUMBER. Adjectives ending in -o change to -a for the feminine: alto → alta, bonito → bonita. The plural adds -s: altos, altas. Adjectives in -e or a consonant (grande, joven, mayor) do NOT change for gender, only for number (grande → grandes). So: mi hermano es alto, mi hermana es alta, mis hermanos son altos.
- Mi familia es grande. My family is big.
- Mi hermana es alta y mi hermano es bajo. My sister is tall and my brother is short.
- Mis abuelos son mayores pero muy buenos. My grandparents are older but very good.
Culture
La familia La familia — the importance of family
Family is central in the Spanish-speaking world — close-knit, often multigenerational, and a frequent topic of conversation.
Close and present
Families gather often — long Sunday lunches, frequent visits. Grandparents are very involved, and cousins can be as close as siblings.
Living at home longer
It is common for young adults to live with their parents into their late twenties — partly for economic reasons, partly cultural closeness. It carries no stigma.
A normal topic
Asking about someone's family (¿Tienes hermanos? ¿Cómo está tu madre?) is warm and expected, not nosy. And terms of endearment — cariño, guapo, cielo — are used freely among family and friends.
When unsure: show interest in someone's family, accept the long family meals, and don't be surprised by the warmth and physical closeness.
pronunciation
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