Question 1

Why is there a definite article el before mes pasado?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish we usually put the definite article before expressions of time. In English you say “last month,” but in Spanish it’s literally “the month past” – el mes pasado. Omitting el would sound ungrammatical.

Question 2

Why does the adjective pasado come after the noun mes, instead of before?

Accepted Answer

Spanish generally places adjectives after nouns. Time words like pasado, próximo, hoy, ayer often follow the noun they modify. So it’s mes pasado, not pasado mes.

Question 3

How do I know descansamos is in the preterite (simple past) and not the present? Why isn’t there an accent to show the difference?

Accepted Answer

The form descansamos can indeed be either present (“we rest”) or preterite (“we rested”), because 1st-person-plural in both tenses ends in -amos and takes no accent. You rely on context and time markers – here el mes pasado clearly signals the completed action in the past, so it’s the preterite.

Question 4

Why is the subject pronoun nosotros omitted before descansamos?

Accepted Answer

Spanish is a “pro-drop” language: verb endings usually identify the subject. Descansamos already indicates “we,” so adding nosotros is unnecessary unless you want to emphasize who did the resting.

Question 5

Why use the preposition en before el parque? Could I use a or al?

Accepted Answer

En expresses location (“in/at the park”), which fits a resting action. A or al (a + el) generally indicate movement toward or into something – e.g. vamos al parque (“we go to the park”). Since you’re describing where you rested, en el parque is correct.

Question 6

What’s the difference if I say descansábamos instead of descansamos?

Accepted Answer

Descansábamos is the imperfect past, used for ongoing or habitual past actions (“we were resting” or “we used to rest”). Descansamos (preterite) describes a single, completed event (“we rested”).

Question 7

Can I say nos descansamos instead of descansamos to mean the same thing?

Accepted Answer

Adding nos makes descansarse, a reflexive form. It’s uncommon in standard Spanish for basic “to rest.” You’d typically use the non-reflexive descansar. Saying nos descansamos might sound odd or regional.

El mes pasado descansamos en el parque.

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