Él es un niño
/el es un niɲo/from spelling rules
To say 'he is a boy' in Spanish, you use Él es un niño.
In certain regions, more informal terms are used to express the same idea.
Which one should you use?
The verb es is used here because it describes a permanent characteristic or identity. This differs from está, which would be used for temporary states or locations.
How does it change in a sentence?
The subject pronoun Él (he) is often omitted in Spanish if the context is clear, leaving just Es un niño. Additionally, the noun niño must agree in gender with the subject. For a girl, you must use the feminine form niña.
How do you pronounce it?
/el es un niɲo/
Did you know?
- The word niño is used in the name of the famous statue El Niño, which gives its name to a powerful weather pattern affecting the Americas.
- While niño means 'boy', in certain contexts like mi niño, it can be used as an affectionate term for a partner or a loved one.
- The word niño is thought to be 'onomatopoeic', meaning it was originally an imitation of the sounds made by a small child.
Examples in context
- Él es un niño y ella es una niña.He is a boy and she is a girl.This sentence is useful for showing how to contrast the subject of a boy with the subject of a girl using Él es un niño.Tatoeba #9622345 by dpcossio, translation #9622329 by kremel
- Él es un niño muy inteligente.He is a very intelligent boy.
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are looking at a photograph of a relative.
- Javier¿Quién es el niño de la foto?Who is the boy in the photo?
- LucíaÉl es un niño de mi familia.He is a boy from my family.
- JavierParece muy divertido.He seems very fun.
- LucíaSí, es muy travieso.Yes, he is very mischievous.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries es, niño, un, él, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
