Breakdown of En el concierto de anoche, el cantante contó una broma graciosa.
de
of
gracioso
funny
en
at
contar
to tell
anoche
last night
el cantante
the singer
el concierto
the concert
la broma
the joke
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Questions & Answers about En el concierto de anoche, el cantante contó una broma graciosa.
Why do we use contar for “tell a joke” instead of decir?
In Spanish, the fixed expression for “to tell a joke” is contar un chiste/broma. Contar literally means “to recount” or “to narrate,” so it emphasizes the act of sharing the story or punch line. Decir is more general (“to say”), and you’d use it for direct speech (e.g. decir la verdad, “to tell the truth”).
Why is it broma graciosa and not broma gracioso?
Adjectives in Spanish must agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify. Broma is feminine, so the adjective must be feminine too: graciosa.
Why do we say el concierto de anoche instead of el concierto anoche?
Anoche is an adverb meaning “last night.” Adverbs cannot modify nouns directly. To express “last night’s concert,” Spanish uses the structure [noun] de anoche.
Why is contó in the preterite tense and not the imperfect?
The preterite (contó) describes a completed action at a specific point in the past—he told the joke (one time) last night. The imperfect (e.g. contaba) would imply an ongoing or habitual action (“he was telling jokes”).
Could we use durante instead of en in en el concierto?
Yes. Durante el concierto (“during the concert”) highlights the timeframe in which the joke occurred. En el concierto is more neutral, simply placing the action at that event. Both are grammatically correct with a slight nuance in emphasis.
What’s the difference between broma and chiste?
Chiste specifically means a joke with a punch line (verbal or written). Broma is broader: it can be a verbal joke but also a prank or playful trick.
Why do we use the definite article el cantante instead of un cantante?
El cantante refers to a specific, known singer (the one you’re talking about at the concert). Un cantante would introduce “a singer” more generally, without implying you already know which one.