Breakdown of Esa señal es nueva; la vimos ayer.
ser
to be
nosotros
we
nuevo
new
esa
that
ayer
yesterday
ver
to see
la
it
la señal
the sign
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Questions & Answers about Esa señal es nueva; la vimos ayer.
Why is esa señal used instead of esta señal?
In Spanish, esta refers to something very close to the speaker (right here), while esa points to something a bit farther away. If the sign isn’t directly next to you or you’re not touching it, you’d normally say esa señal.
Why does the sentence use a semicolon (;) instead of a comma or a period?
A semicolon links two closely related independent clauses. Here, Esa señal es nueva and la vimos ayer are both complete thoughts, and the semicolon emphasizes that the fact we saw it yesterday explains why it’s new to us.
Why is es nueva used instead of está nueva?
Spanish often uses ser with adjectives like nuevo when you mean “this thing is new to me” or to state its identity/quality. Using estar (está nueva) would highlight its condition (it looks unused or brand‐new), whereas es nueva simply says “it’s new.”
Why is la placed before vimos in la vimos ayer?
La is a feminine singular direct‐object pronoun replacing la señal. In Spanish, object pronouns typically go right before the conjugated verb: la vimos (we saw it).
Why does the sentence use the preterite vimos instead of the present perfect hemos visto?
In Latin American Spanish, the simple past (preterite) is the default way to describe completed past actions, even if you might say “we have seen” in English. The present perfect (hemos visto) is less common and often reserved for very recent events or experiences without a specific time.
Can we say ayer la vimos instead of la vimos ayer?
Yes. Spanish word order is flexible. Putting ayer first (Ayer la vimos) shifts the emphasis onto when you saw it, but the meaning remains the same.
Why is señal feminine? It doesn’t follow the usual –o/–a rule.
Unfortunately, noun gender in Spanish often has to be memorized. While many –al words are masculine (el canal, el portal), señal is an exception and is feminine: la señal.
Could you drop the noun and just say esa es nueva?
Yes. If the context is clear that you’re talking about the sign, esa es nueva works perfectly well. Spanish frequently omits the noun when the pronoun is understood.