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Vamos a construir un puente nuevo para cruzar el río.

Vamos a construir un puente nuevo para cruzar el río.
We are going to build a new bridge to cross the river.
FromLesson 20inHardcore Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Vamos a construir un puente nuevo para cruzar el río.

What is the function of vamos a + infinitive in this sentence?
The construction vamos a construir uses the present tense of ir (to go) plus a and an infinitive to express a near-future action, equivalent to “we are going to build.” It’s the most common way to talk about what will happen soon in spoken Spanish.
Could you use the simple future tense instead of vamos a construir?
Yes. You could say construiremos un puente nuevo para cruzar el río. The simple future is grammatically correct but sounds more formal or literary; vamos a + infinitive is preferred in everyday conversation.
Why is nuevo placed after puente? Could it go before the noun?
In Spanish, descriptive adjectives usually follow the noun, so puente nuevo is the standard word order. You can place nuevo before the noun (un nuevo puente), and it’s still correct, but that placement often adds nuance like “another” or emphasizes the newness more subjectively.
Why do we use para before cruzar instead of por?
The preposition para expresses purpose (“in order to”). Para cruzar el río means “in order to cross the river.” Using por would change the meaning (cause, duration, or movement through), so it wouldn’t convey the intended purpose here.
Why is the definite article el used before río?
Spanish generally requires a definite article before nouns when referring to a specific item or concept—in this case, “the river.” In English we say cross the river, and Spanish matches this with cruzar el río.
How do you replace un puente nuevo with a pronoun?
You use the direct-object pronoun for a masculine singular noun, lo. You can say Lo vamos a construir para cruzar el río or attach it to the infinitive: Vamos a construirlo para cruzar el río.
What’s the imperative form for “Let’s build” in Spanish?
You use the first-person plural subjunctive: Construyamos un puente nuevo para cruzar el río. This single-word command means Let’s build a new bridge to cross the river.
Is construir a regular verb and where is the stress?
Yes, construir is a regular -ir verb. By Spanish accent rules, because it ends in a consonant other than n or s, the stress falls on the last syllable (con-stru-IR). It’s pronounced [kons.tɾu.ˈiɾ].
What gender and number is puente, and why is the article un used?
Puente is a masculine singular noun, so it takes the masculine singular indefinite article un, meaning a or one.
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“How does verb conjugation work in Spanish?”
Spanish verbs change form based on the subject, tense, and mood. Regular verbs follow predictable patterns depending on whether they end in ‑ar, ‑er, or ‑ir. For example, "hablar" (to speak) becomes "hablo" (I speak), "hablas" (you speak), and "habla" (he/she speaks) in the present tense.

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