él es un hombre
/el es un ombɾe/from spelling rules
The English phrase "he is a man" is translated into Spanish as él es un hombre.
This phrase is used to state that a person is an adult male.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of él (he), es (is), un (a) and hombre (man).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, the phrase Es un pata can be used to mean "He is a friend."
How does it change in a sentence?
While él es un hombre is grammatically correct for emphasizing "a man", the indefinite article un is often omitted in Spanish when stating certain qualities of identity or professions, resulting in él es hombre. If you wish to change the subject to a female, you must change the pronoun to ella, the article to una and the noun to mujer.
How do you pronounce it?
/el es un ombɾe/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the word hombre is used as a general exclamation similar to 'man!' or 'come on!' regardless of who is being spoken to.
- The Spanish word hombre is etymologically linked to the idea of an 'earthling', as it derives from the Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'earth'.
- The word hombre can be used in the plural form hombres to refer to humanity as a whole, even when women are included in the group.
Examples in context
- Él es un hombre sabio.He is a man of wisdom.This example shows how to describe a man as wise using él es un hombre.Tatoeba #989418 by Shishir, translation #296030 by CM
- Él es un hombre talentoso.He is a man of ability.This example shows how to describe a man as talented using él es un hombre.Tatoeba #1292595 by marcelostockle, translation #299247 by CC
- Él es un hombre de firme voluntad.He is a man of strong will.This example shows how to describe a man of strong will using él es un hombre.Tatoeba #5002427 by DarkHollow, translation #3499326 by neron
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Daniel are looking at an old family photograph.
- María¿Quién es la persona en la foto?Who is the person in the photo?
- DanielMi abuelo. Él es un hombre muy fuerte.My grandfather. He is a very strong man.
- MaríaSe ve muy joven aquí.He looks very young here.
- DanielSí, pero ya sabía que él es un hombre decidido.Yes, but he already knew he is a determined man.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries es, hombre, un, él, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
