él es un
/el es un/from spelling rules
The phrase él es un means "he is a" in Spanish.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of él (he), es (is) and un (a/an).
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine article un is used when the noun following the phrase is masculine.
How do you pronounce it?
/el es un/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, you typically omit the word un when stating someone's profession. Instead of saying él es un pintor, a native speaker would simply say él es pintor.
- While él es un describes a permanent characteristic, Spanish uses a different verb, está, to say 'he is' when referring to a temporary state or location.
- Native speakers often drop the pronoun él entirely, saying only es un…, because the verb ending already indicates the subject is 'he' or 'she'.
Examples in context
- Él es un héroe.He is a hero.This sentence is useful for showing how to use él es un to describe a hero.Tatoeba #1216467 by wallebot, translation #969134 by Serhiy
- Él es un genio.He is a genius.This sentence is useful for showing how to use él es un to describe a genius.Tatoeba #2416430 by hayastan, translation #301761 by CK
- Él es un pintor.He is a painter.This sentence is useful for showing how to use él es un to describe a painter.Tatoeba #1281276 by marcelostockle, translation #294585 by CK
- Él es un hombreHe is a man
- Él es un profesionalHe is a professional
- Él es un excelente líderHe is an excellent leader
- Él es un chicoHe is a boy
- Él es un amigoHe is a friend
- Él es un crackHe is a superstar
- Él es un crack en el fútbolHe is a superstar in soccer
- Él es un buen tipoHe is a good guy
- Él es un tíoHe is a guy
- Él es un cuateHe is a guy or dude
- 139 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Lucía are talking about a mutual friend.
- Alejandro¿Quién es ese chico nuevo?Who is that new guy?
- LucíaÉl es un estudiante de música.He is a music student.
- AlejandroParece muy talentoso.He seems very talented.
- LucíaSí, él es un experto en piano.Yes, he is a piano expert.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
