el hombre bebe agua
/el ombɾe bebe aɡwa/from spelling rules
The English phrase "the man drinks water" is translated into Spanish as el hombre bebe agua.
This phrase is used to describe a male person consuming water.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of el (the), hombre (man), bebe (drinks) and agua (water).
Which one should you use?
Using the verb tomar in the phrase el hombre toma agua is a very common alternative for expressing the same meaning.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The phrase el hombre toma agua is frequently used in many different Spanish-speaking regions as an alternative to using the verb beber.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase el hombre bebe agua, the verb bebe is the third-person singular present indicative form of the verb beber.
How do you pronounce it?
/el ombɾe bebe aɡwa/
Did you know?
- Although agua is a feminine noun, it uses the masculine article el in the phrase el agua to avoid a clashing 'a' sound at the start of the word.
- The word hombre comes from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'earthling'.
- While beber means 'to drink', the alternative tomar can also mean 'to take' or 'to have', as in having a meal or taking medicine.
Examples in context
- El hombre bebe agua en el parque.The man drinks water in the park.
- El hombre bebe agua porque tiene sed.The man drinks water because he is thirsty.
Example conversation
María and Javier are observing a man in a park.
- MaríaMira a ese señor.Look at that gentleman.
- JavierSí, el hombre bebe agua.Yes, the man is drinking water.
- MaríaParece que tiene mucha sed.He seems very thirsty.
- JavierEs verdad, hace mucho calor.That is true, it is very hot.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries agua, bebe, el, hombre, CC BY-SA 4.0.
