Where Are Your Parents From?

Introduction

This post is about the use of describing words/ adjectives in general, and more specifically about the use of masculine/ plural form of a describing word/ adjective.

SCENARIO

Imagine you talking about family/relatives to someone who doesn't know your parents. At some point the other person asks you: "where are your parents from?".

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and ask you:

¿De dónde son tus padres^*?

Alternatively, he/ she could choose to be a little bit more formal and say:

¿De dónde son sus padres^*?

*NB The Spanish word padres (masculine/ plural) may also mean fathers.

---

OUR TIP

This is a straightforward question about your parents. If your answer does not include a reference to the person asking the question, you DO NOT need be concerned about the degree of formality in the original question. You can just concentrate on answering the question.

Questions like this one are usually answered by indicating:

• The nationality of your parents
• The country your parents come from
• The city/ town your parents come from

Here are some sample replies:

• Mis padres son ingleses* (my parents are English).
• Mis padres son italianos* (my parents are Italian).
• Mis padres son estadounidenses* (my parents are American).
• Mis padres son vietnamitas* (my parents are Vietnamese).
• Mis padres son de Inglaterra (my parents are from England).
• Mis padres son de Londres (my parents are from London).
• Mis padres son ingleses*, de Londres (my parents are English, they are from London).

Now you should practise answering the question:

¿De dónde son tus padres?

*NB See Grammar below

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*Grammar-Adjectives

	Gender	Number	Adjective
padre	masculine	singular	inglés
padres	masculine/ mixed	plural	ingleses
madre	feminine	singular	inglesa
madres	feminine	plural	inglesas

Noun-Adjective Agreement

See notes below on Noun-Adjective agreement

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Noun-Adjective Agreement

As you can see above, in Spanish you can also use a describing word/ adjective to indicate where someone comes from. Below follow some notes on how to choose the correct form of the adjective for a given noun.

Adjectives -Gender

When you use Spanish describing words/ adjectives, you need to bear in mind that for each describing word in English, there are often two related but different describing words/ adjectives in Spanish. The reason being that Spanish describing words/ adjectives have to 'agree' with the gender (masculine or feminine) of the noun they describe. Most Spanish describing words have similar but separate words for each of the two genders (for example, americano/ americana). A few, however have one single form (for example, canadiense).

Thus when you come to use a describing word to indicate where someone comes from, you need to check whether the corresponding Spanish describing word/ adjective has:

• One single form (for example , estadounidense)
• Two separate forms (for example, inglés/ inglesa).- If the describing word/ adjective has two separate forms, then you need to choose the form which matches the gender (masculine/ feminine) of the noun it describes.

Adjectives -Number

When you use Spanish describing words/ adjectives, you also need to bear in mind that Spanish describing words/ adjectives have singular and plural* forms the same as nouns. A Spanish describing word/ adjective must also to 'agree' with the number (singular/ plural) of the noun it describes. For example, padre inglés (English father) or padres ingleses (English parents/ fathers).

Thus when you come to use a describing word/ adjective to indicate where someone comes from, you need to choose the form of the Spanish describing word/ adjective which matches the noun's number (singular/ plural).

*NB View posts with details about the plural of Spanish words here.

Adjectives -Use

All the practical examples in this post refer to parents (plural), padres. Consequently, they require the masculine/ plural form of a describing word/ adjective, for example, ingleses.

Spelling

Please note that in Spanish, the names of countries, towns, cities, etc. (for example, “Inglaterra” or “Londres”) are capitalised. However, the nationality describing words/ adjectives (for example “italiana”) are not.

---

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Where Is Your Mother From?

Introduction

This post is about the use of describing words/ adjectives in general, and more specifically about the use of feminine/ singular form of describing words/ adjectives.

SCENARIO

Imagine you are talking to someone else who doesn't know your mother. At some point the other person asks you: "where is your mother from?".

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and ask you:

¿De dónde es tu madre?

Alternatively, he/ she could choose to be a little bit more formal and say:

¿De dónde es su madre?

---

OUR TIP

This is a straightforward question about your your mother (a third person). When saying something about a third person (that is, neither you nor the person asking the question) you DO NOT need be concerned about the degree of formality in the original question. You can just concentrate on answering the question.

Questions like this one are usually answered by indicating:

• The nationality of your mother
• The country your mother comes from
• The city/ town your mother comes from

Here are some sample replies:

• Mi madre es inglesa* (my mother is English).
• Mi madre es italiana* (my mother is Italian).
• Mi madre es estadounidense* (my mother is American).
• Mi madre es vietnamita* (my mother is vietnamese).
• Mi madre es de Inglaterra (my mother is from England).
• Mi madre es de Londres (my mother is from London).
• Mi madre es inglesa*, de Londres (my mother is English, she is from London).

Now you should practise answering the question:

¿De dónde es tu madre?

*NB See Grammar below

---

*Grammar-Adjectives

	Gender	Number	Adjective
padre	masculine	singular	inglés
padres	masculine/ mixed	plural	ingleses
madre	feminine	singular	inglesa
madres	feminine	plural	inglesas

Noun-Adjective Agreement

See notes below on Noun-Adjective agreement

---

Noun-Adjective Agreement

As you can see above, in Spanish you can also use a describing word/ adjective to indicate where someone comes from. Below follow some notes on how to choose the correct form of the adjective for a given noun.

Adjectives -Gender

When you use Spanish describing words/ adjectives, you need to bear in mind that for each describing word in English, there are often two related but different describing words/ adjectives in Spanish. The reason being that Spanish describing words/ adjectives have to 'agree' with the gender (masculine or feminine) of the noun they describe. Most Spanish describing words have similar but separate words for each of the two genders (for example, americano/ americana). A few, however have one single form (for example, canadiense).

Thus when you come to use a describing word to indicate where someone comes from, you need to check whether the corresponding Spanish describing word/ adjective has:

• One single form (for example , estadounidense)
• Two separate forms (for example, inglés/ inglesa).- If the describing word/ adjective has two separate forms, then you need to choose the form which matches the gender (masculine/ feminine) of the noun it describes.

Adjectives -Number

When you use Spanish describing words/ adjectives, you also need to bear in mind that Spanish describing words/ adjectives have singular and plural* forms the same as nouns. A Spanish describing word/ adjective must also to 'agree' with the number (singular/ plural) of the noun it describes. For example, madre inglesa (English mother) or madres inglesas (English mothers).

Thus when you come to use a describing word/ adjective to indicate where someone comes from, you need to choose the form of the Spanish describing word/ adjective which matches the noun's number (singular/ plural).

*NB View posts with details about the plural of Spanish words here.

Adjectives -Use

All the practical examples in this post include the noun madre which is a feminine/ singular noun. Consequently, they require the feminine/ singular form of a describing word/ adjective, for example, inglesa.

Spelling

Please note that in Spanish, the names of countries, towns, cities, etc. (for example, “Inglaterra” or “Londres”) are capitalised. However, the nationality describing words/ adjectives (for example “italiana”) are not.

---

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© Copyright 2014 Love-Spanish.com. by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved.

Where Are Your Friends From?

Introduction

This post is about the use of describing words/ adjectives in general, and more specifically about the use of feminine/ plural form of a describing word/ adjective.

SCENARIO

Imagine you and a group of female friends meet someone else who doesn't know your friends. At some point the other person asks you: "where are your friends from?".

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and ask you:

¿De dónde son tus amigas^*?

Alternatively, he/ she could choose to be a little bit more formal and say:

¿De dónde son sus amigas^*?

*NB The use of the word amigas (feminine/ plural) in the question implies that all individuals in the group are females. You need to choose the word “amigos” when one or more of the friends in question are males.

---

OUR TIP

This is a straightforward question about your your friends (a third person). When saying something about a third person (that are, neither you nor the person asking the question) you DO NOT need be concerned about the degree of formality in the original question. You can just concentrate on answering the question.

Questions like this one are usually answered by indicating:

• The nationality of your friends
• The country your friends come from
• The city/ town your friends come from

Here are some sample replies:

• Mis amigas son inglesas* (my friends are English).
• Mis amigas son italianas* (my friends are Italian).
• Mis amigas son estadounidenses* (my friends are American).
• Mis amigas son vietnamitas* (my friends are Vietnamese).
• Mis amigas son de Inglaterra (my friends are from England).
• Mis amigas son de Londres (my friends are from London).
• Mis amigas son inglesas*, de Londres (my friends are English, they are from London).

Now you should practise answering the question:

¿De dónde son tus amigas?

*NB See Grammar below

---

*Grammar-Adjectives

	Gender	Number	Adjective
amigo	masculine	singular	inglés
amigos	masculine/ mixed	plural	ingleses
amiga	feminine	singular	inglesa
amigas	feminine	plural	inglesas

Noun-Adjective Agreement

See notes below on Noun-Adjective agreement

---

Noun-Adjective Agreement

As you can see above, in Spanish you can also use a describing word/ adjective to indicate where someone comes from. Below follow some notes on how to choose the correct form of the adjective for a given noun.

Adjectives -Gender

When you use Spanish describing words/ adjectives, you need to bear in mind that for each describing word in English, there are often two related but different describing words/ adjectives in Spanish. The reason being that Spanish describing words/ adjectives have to 'agree' with the gender (masculine or feminine) of the noun they describe. Most Spanish describing words have similar but separate words for each of the two genders (for example, americano/ americana). A few, however have one single form (for example, canadiense).

Thus when you come to use a describing word to indicate where someone comes from, you need to check whether the corresponding Spanish describing word/ adjective has:

• One single form (for example , estadounidense)
• Two separate forms (for example, inglés/ inglesa).- If the describing word/ adjective has two separate forms, then you need to choose the form which matches the gender (masculine/ feminine) of the noun it describes.

Adjectives -Number

When you use Spanish describing words/ adjectives, you also need to bear in mind that Spanish describing words/ adjectives have singular and plural* forms the same as nouns. A Spanish describing word/ adjective must also to 'agree' with the number (singular/ plural) of the noun it describes. For example, amiga inglesa (English friend -female) or amigas inglesas (English friends -females).

Thus when you come to use a describing word/ adjective to indicate where someone comes from, you need to choose the form of the Spanish describing word/ adjective which matches the noun's number (singular/ plural).

*NB View posts with details about the plural of Spanish words here.

Adjectives -Use

All the practical examples in this post refer to several female friends, amigas. Consequently, they require the feminine/ plural form of a describing word/ adjective, for example, inglesas.

Spelling

Please note that in Spanish, the names of countries, towns, cities, etc. (for example, “Inglaterra” or “Londres”) are capitalised. However, the nationality describing words/ adjectives (for example “italiana”) are not.

---

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Where Is Your Female Friend From?

Introduction

This post is about the use of describing words/ adjectives in general, and more specifically about the use of feminine/ singular form of a describing word/ adjective.

SCENARIO

Imagine you and a female friend and are talking to someone else who doesn't know your friend. At some point the other person asks you: "where is your female friend from?".

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and ask you:

¿De dónde es tu amiga?

Alternatively, he/ she could choose to be a little bit more formal and say:

¿De dónde es su amiga?

---

OUR TIP

This is a straightforward question about your your friend (a third person). When saying something about a third person (that is, neither you nor the person asking the question) you DO NOT need be concerned about the degree of formality in the original question. You can just concentrate on answering the question.

Questions like this one are usually answered by indicating:

• The nationality of your friend
• The country your friend comes from
• The city/ town your friend comes from

Here are some sample replies:

• Mi amiga es inglesa* (my friend is English).
• Mi amiga es italiana* (my friend is Italian).
• Mi amiga es estadounidense* (my friend is American).
• Mi amiga es vietnamita* (my friend is vietnamese).
• Mi amiga es de Inglaterra (my friend is from England).
• Mi amiga es de Londres (my friend is from London).
• Mi amiga es inglesa*, de Londres (my friend is English, she is from London).

Now you should practise answering the question:

¿De dónde es tu amiga?

*NB See Grammar below

---

*Grammar-Adjectives

	Gender	Number	Adjective
amigo	masculine	singular	inglés
amigos	masculine/ mixed	plural	ingleses
amiga	feminine	singular	inglesa
amigas	feminine	plural	inglesas

Noun-Adjective Agreement

See notes below on Noun-Adjective agreement

---

Noun-Adjective Agreement

As you can see above, in Spanish you can also use a describing word/ adjective to indicate where someone comes from. Below follow some notes on how to choose the correct form of the adjective for a given noun.

Adjectives -Gender

When you use Spanish describing words/ adjectives, you need to bear in mind that for each describing word in English, there are often two related but different describing words/ adjectives in Spanish. The reason being that Spanish describing words/ adjectives have to 'agree' with the gender (masculine or feminine) of the noun they describe. Most Spanish describing words have similar but separate words for each of the two genders (for example, americano/ americana). A few, however have one single form (for example, canadiense).

Thus when you come to use a describing word to indicate where someone comes from, you need to check whether the corresponding Spanish describing word/ adjective has:

• One single form (for example , estadounidense)
• Two separate forms (for example, inglés/ inglesa).- If the describing word/ adjective has two separate forms, then you need to choose the form which matches the gender (masculine/ feminine) of the noun it describes.

Adjectives -Number

When you use Spanish describing words/ adjectives, you also need to bear in mind that Spanish describing words/ adjectives have singular and plural* forms the same as nouns. A Spanish describing word/ adjective must also to 'agree' with the number (singular/ plural) of the noun it describes. For example, amiga inglesa (English friend -female) or amigas inglesas (English friends -females).

Thus when you come to use a describing word/ adjective to indicate where someone comes from, you need to choose the form of the Spanish describing word/ adjective which matches the noun's number (singular/ plural).

*NB View posts with details about the plural of Spanish words here.

Adjectives -Use

All the practical examples in this post refer to a female friend, amiga. Consequently, they require the feminine/ singular form of a describing word/ adjective, for example, inglesa.

Spelling

Please note that in Spanish, the names of countries, towns, cities, etc. (for example, “Inglaterra” or “Londres”) are capitalised. However, the nationality describing words/ adjectives (for example “italiana”) are not.

---

Spanish lessons online

Skype/ Google+ Hangout/ Face Time

Great lessons

Book now

Free Spanish:

Visit: Love-Spanish.com

Follow us on:

Google+: Google+ Love-Spanish

Twitter: @LoveSpanish_com

Facebook: Facebook.com/ Love.Spanish

© Copyright 2014 Love-Spanish.com. by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved.