El mensaje decía que la calle está muy ruidosa por las obras, así que uso tapones de oídos.

The message said that the street is very noisy because of the construction, so I use earplugs.

Breakdown of El mensaje decía que la calle está muy ruidosa por las obras, así que uso tapones de oídos.

• yo: I
• usar: to use
• muy: very
• estar: to be
• la calle: the street
• que: that
• así que: so
• decir: to say
• el mensaje: the message
• ruidoso: noisy
• por: because of
• la obra: the work
• el tapón de oído: the earplug

Questions & Answers about El mensaje decía que la calle está muy ruidosa por las obras, así que uso tapones de oídos.

Why does the sentence use "decía" instead of "dijo"?

In Spanish, the imperfect tense decía conveys that something was said in a continuous or ongoing manner in the past, or provides background information. The preterite tense dijo would imply a single, completed action. Here, decía sets the scene that the message was stating this information as part of the background context.

Why do we say "la calle está muy ruidosa" instead of "la calle es muy ruidosa"?

Using está points to a temporary or changeable condition—it's noisy now because of the construction. If you use es, that suggests a permanent characteristic of the street. Since the noise is caused by the ongoing works, it’s considered a temporary situation, so está is the right choice.

What does "por las obras" mean here?

Por las obras means because of the construction, indicating the reason why the street is noisy. In Spanish, por often introduces a cause or reason. So, por las obras tells us that the noise is caused by the construction work going on.

When should I use "por" vs. "porque" when talking about a reason?

Use por plus a noun (e.g., por las obras) to state the cause (por = "because of"). On the other hand, porque is followed by a clause (e.g., porque están realizando obras = because they are doing construction). They both express reasons, but their grammar structures differ.

What does "así que" mean in this context?

Así que means so or therefore, and it’s used to show the result or consequence of the previous statement. Here it links the reason (the street is noisy) to the action (using earplugs).

Is there a difference between "tapones de oídos" and "tapones para los oídos"?

They both refer to earplugs, but you often hear tapones para los oídos (earplugs for the ears) or tapones para los oídos shortened to tapones de oídos in everyday speech. Both expressions are understood the same way: they are small devices to protect your ears from noise.