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Questions & Answers about Al final del concierto, compramos pintura fosforescente para una fiesta en la playa.
What is the function of al in Al final del concierto?
In Spanish, al is the contraction of a + el. Here al final literally means “at the end,” so Al final del concierto = “At the end of the concert.”
Why do we need del before concierto?
Spanish requires a definite article (el) when talking about a specific noun. Del is de + el, so del concierto means “of the concert.” You can’t say Al final de concierto; you need the article to specify which concert.
How do we distinguish between compramos in the present tense (“we buy”) and the preterite (“we bought”)?
Both present and preterite use -amos for first-person plural of comprar, so the form is identical. You rely on context:
• Intent: actions completed in the past use preterite.
• Time markers: phrases like Al final del concierto signal something that happened after the event, so it’s past.
Why is the adjective fosforescente placed after the noun pintura?
In Spanish, most descriptive adjectives come after the noun. So it’s pintura fosforescente (noun + adjective) rather than fosforescente pintura.
What does pintura fosforescente mean in English?
It literally means phosphorescent paint, but you can call it glow-in-the-dark paint or blacklight paint in English, depending on the effect.
Why is para used in para una fiesta en la playa instead of por?
Para expresses purpose or destination, so para una fiesta = “for a party.” Por would indicate reasons or cause, which doesn’t fit here.
Why do we say en la playa and not a la playa to mean “at the beach”?
En indicates location (at). A indicates direction (to). Since the party takes place at the beach, we use en la playa.
Could I say fiesta playera instead of fiesta en la playa?
Yes. Fiesta playera is a common adjective + noun phrase meaning “beach party.” Using playera (from playa) is more concise, but both are correct.