Why is there "en su espalda" and not en LA espalda?
Most nouns that end in -or are masculine.
Have a look at the following examples:
Dicen que el amor lo puede todo.
They say that love conquers all.
El trabajador no ha venido a la fábrica hoy.
The worker didn't come to the factory today.
El paciente tenía mucho dolor en su espalda.
The patient had a lot of pain in his back.
To form the plural of these nouns simply add an -es:
No me gustan los colores del cuadro.
I don't like the colours in the painting.
Los diseñadores van a presentar a sus modelos.
The designers are going to introduce their models.
Flor (flower) and labor (work) are some exceptions to this rule as they are feminine!
Remember that the articles and adjectives accompanying these nouns must agree in gender and number.
Learn more about Género masculino
Learn more about these related Spanish grammar topics
Examples and resources
No me gustan los colores del cuadro.
I don't like the colours in the painting.
Dicen que el amor lo puede todo.
They say that love conquers all.
El trabajador no ha venido a la fábrica hoy.
The worker didn't come to the factory today.
El paciente tenía mucho dolor en su espalda.
The patient had a lot of pain in his back.
Los diseñadores van a presentar a sus modelos.
The designers are going to introduce their models.
Q&A Forum 3 questions, 4 answers
InmaKwiziq language super star
Hola Emanuel
We don't normally use the possessives in this sort of sentences as we always assume that if someone has a pain somewhere it is always his/her own body, so, we tend to use articles el, la, los, las. However we sometimes use the possessive for emphasis. We could have easily said, with the same meaning:
El paciente tenía mucho dolor en la espalda.
Saludos,
Inma
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InmaKwiziq language super star
Hola Emanuel
Yes, we generally use El pretérito Perfecto (ha venido) with time frames like "hoy". This sentence using "vino" in El Indefinido would be more of a Latin American usage. I've changed it to "he venido" in the lesson.
Saludos
Inma
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El trabajador
So if it's a female trabajador or inversor then it's changed to la trabajadora and inversora ? Then following to Las and unas inversoras?
Thanks you
Asked 1 year ago
InmaKwiziq language super star
That's right Meghan, nouns that en in -or are generally masculine, but if they can also refer to a woman, like trabajador or inversor, then they take the -a (la trabajadora, la inversora) and the -as for their plural (unas trabajadoras, unas inversoras).
Un saludo
Inma
InmaKwiziq language super star
Hi again Meghan,
Here is a lesson connected to your query about "trabajador". It is about adjectives, but it will clarify it a bit more.
Forming the singular and plural of adjectives ending in -án, ón, -or
Inma
Meghan asked:View original
El trabajador
So if it's a female trabajador or inversor then it's changed to la trabajadora and inversora ? Then following to Las and unas inversoras?
Thanks you
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