Contemplamos la escultura durante la visita guiada.

In Spanish, the verb ending often tells you who the subject is.
Contemplamos has the -amos ending, which matches nosotros for an -ar verb like contemplar.

So:

• (Nosotros) contemplamos = we contemplate / we contemplated

Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed, because the verb already gives that information.

It can be either one:

• present: we contemplate
• preterite: we contemplated

This happens because for many -ar verbs, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite.

Examples:

• Contemplamos la escultura cada vez que venimos. = present
• Contemplamos la escultura ayer. = preterite

So you usually need context to know which tense is meant.

Contemplar usually sounds more thoughtful, attentive, or reflective than mirar.

• mirar = to look at
• contemplar = to contemplate, observe carefully, admire thoughtfully

So Contemplamos la escultura suggests more than just glancing at it. It gives the idea that we looked at the sculpture with attention, maybe appreciating it as art.

In everyday conversation, mirar is more common, while contemplar sounds a bit more formal or literary.

Spanish uses articles very often, more often than English does.

Here, la escultura means the sculpture. The article shows that the speaker has a specific sculpture in mind.

Compare:

• Contemplamos la escultura = We contemplated the sculpture
• Contemplamos una escultura = We contemplated a sculpture

Leaving out the article here would usually sound unnatural.

Durante means during and is used to place something within the time span of an event.

So:

• durante la visita guiada = during the guided tour

It tells you when the action happened.

This is a very natural structure in Spanish:

• durante la clase = during class
• durante el viaje = during the trip
• durante la reunión = during the meeting

Yes, you often could, but the nuance is a little different.

• durante la visita guiada focuses clearly on the time period: during the guided tour
• en la visita guiada can mean on/in the guided tour or during the guided tour, depending on context

So durante is the clearest choice if you want to emphasize when the action happened.

Visita guiada literally means guided visit, but in natural English it is often translated as:

• guided tour

It is a very common expression for a museum tour, building tour, historical site tour, etc., where a guide explains things to visitors.

Examples:

• Hicimos una visita guiada al museo.
• La visita guiada duró una hora.

Because guiada is an adjective describing visita, and adjectives must agree with the noun in gender and number.

• visita is feminine singular
• so the adjective must also be feminine singular: guiada

Compare:

• el recorrido guiado = the guided tour
• la visita guiada = the guided visit/tour
• las visitas guiadas = the guided visits/tours

Yes. That is grammatically correct.

Adding nosotros is usually optional. You might include it if you want to:

• emphasize we
• contrast with someone else
• make the subject especially clear

For example:

• Nosotros contemplamos la escultura, pero ellos siguieron caminando.

Without emphasis, Spanish normally leaves nosotros out.

The given word order is very natural, but Spanish allows some flexibility.

Standard order:

• Contemplamos la escultura durante la visita guiada.

Other possible orders:

• Durante la visita guiada, contemplamos la escultura.
• La escultura la contemplamos durante la visita guiada. ← more marked, used for emphasis

So yes, the order can change, but the original version is the most neutral and natural.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• con-tem-PLA-mos

The stress falls on pla.

Why? Because it ends in -s and has no written accent mark, so Spanish stress rules place the stress on the second-to-last syllable.

Approximate English-friendly pronunciation:

• kohn-tehm-PLAH-mohs

The personal a is used mainly with specific people (and sometimes pets or personified beings), not with things.

So:

• Vemos a la guía. = We see the guide.
• Contemplamos la escultura. = We contemplate the sculpture.

Because la escultura is an object, not a person, there is no personal a.

They could work, but they mean slightly different things.

• contemplamos = we contemplated / looked at thoughtfully
• observamos = we observed
• miramos = we looked at
• vimos = we saw

So the differences are about nuance:

• vimos is the least specific; it only tells you that you saw it
• miramos means you directed your eyes toward it
• observamos suggests careful watching
• contemplamos suggests a more reflective or appreciative kind of looking

For a sculpture in a guided tour, contemplamos sounds especially appropriate if the idea is admiring or studying the artwork.