Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Spanish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about El atardecer más colorido lo veremos mañana durante nuestras vacaciones.
Why do we use El before atardecer in this sentence?
El is the definite article for masculine singular nouns in Spanish. Since atardecer (“sunset”) is a masculine singular noun and we’re referring to a specific sunset (the most colorful one), we need el.
Why is atardecer considered masculine even though it ends in –er?
In Spanish, most nouns ending in –o are masculine and –a are feminine, but there are many exceptions. Words ending in –er (like atardecer, amanecer) are typically masculine. You just learn or check each noun’s gender as you go.
What does más colorido mean, and why don’t we say coloridísimo?
Más colorido means “more colorful” or “the most colorful” when you add the article el in front (el más colorido = “the most colorful”). That’s a relative superlative. Coloridísimo would be an absolute superlative (“very, very colorful”), not a comparison among a group of sunsets.
Why is there an accent on más?
Más with an accent always means “more” or “most.” Without the accent (mas), it’s a conjunction meaning “but.” The accent distinguishes them.
What is the function of lo in lo veremos?
Lo is a direct object pronoun replacing atardecer (“it”). Since atardecer is masculine singular, we use lo (“it”) to avoid repeating the noun.
Why is lo placed before veremos instead of after?
In simple conjugated tenses (present, preterite, future, etc.), object pronouns go before the verb: Lo veremos. You only attach pronouns to infinitives, gerunds, or affirmative commands.
Could we say Mañana lo veremos durante nuestras vacaciones instead?
Yes, you can move the time adverb mañana to the front or even between veremos and durante, as Spanish word order is flexible:
– Mañana lo veremos durante nuestras vacaciones.
– Lo veremos mañana durante nuestras vacaciones.
All three mean essentially the same thing.
Why is durante nuestras vacaciones used here? Could we use another construction?
Durante means “during,” so durante nuestras vacaciones = “during our vacation.” You could also use a subordinate clause: cuando estemos de vacaciones (“when we’re on vacation”), but that’s a different structure.
Does mañana durante nuestras vacaciones imply that tomorrow is within our vacation period?
Exactly. Mañana (tomorrow) and durante nuestras vacaciones both specify time. It tells us that the colorful sunset we’ll see tomorrow is happening while we’re on vacation.
Why is the future tense veremos chosen instead of, say, vamos a ver?
Spanish offers two common ways to talk about the future:
1) The simple future: veremos (“we will see”)
2) The periphrastic future: vamos a ver (“we are going to see”)
Both are correct. Veremos sounds a bit more formal or neutral, while vamos a ver is often more conversational.