Breakdown of Nuestra vecina explicará en la conferencia cómo citar fuentes académicas.
en
in
explicar
to explain
cómo
how
nuestra
our
citar
to quote
la conferencia
the conference
la vecina
the neighbor
la fuente
the source
académico
academic
Questions & Answers about Nuestra vecina explicará en la conferencia cómo citar fuentes académicas.
Why is nuestra vecina and not nuestro vecino?
Because vecina is a feminine noun, so its possessive pronoun must also be feminine: nuestra. If you were talking about a male neighbor, you’d say nuestro vecino.
When should I use explicará (simple future) instead of va a explicar?
Both forms express future actions and are often interchangeable. Use the simple future (explicará) for a more formal or concise tone, common in written Spanish. The periphrastic future (va a explicar) is very common in spoken Spanish to describe near-future events.
Why is it en la conferencia instead of a la conferencia?
En la conferencia locates the explanation during the conference. In contrast, a la conferencia would mean “to the conference,” emphasizing movement toward it. Use en for the setting or time of an event.
Why does cómo have an accent when it’s not a direct question?
Even in indirect questions or embedded clauses, interrogative words (cómo, qué, cuándo, etc.) keep their accent. Here cómo introduces an indirect question (how to cite), so it remains accented.
Could I say nuestra vecina explicará a los asistentes cómo citar fuentes?
Yes. Adding a los asistentes specifies the audience: nuestra vecina explicará a los asistentes cómo citar fuentes académicas. Spanish allows you to include or omit explicit indirect objects when they’re clear from context.
What’s the difference between explicará cómo citar and explicará cómo se citan?
- Explicará cómo citar uses the infinitive, like giving direct instructions: “she will explain how to cite.”
- Explicará cómo se citan uses the passive/reflexive construction, describing the general procedure: “she will explain how sources are cited.”
Both are correct; the infinitive is more direct, the passive more descriptive.
Why is fuentes académicas plural and feminine?
Fuentes (sources) is a feminine, plural noun. Adjectives in Spanish must agree in gender and number, so académicas is also feminine plural.
Can I omit Nuestra vecina and just say Explicará en la conferencia…?
Yes. Spanish often omits the subject when the verb ending makes it clear:
– Explicará en la conferencia cómo citar fuentes académicas.
However, including Nuestra vecina clarifies who is speaking.
Why is there no object pronoun like le explicará before explicará?
Here, explicar takes a direct object clause (cómo citar fuentes académicas) rather than an indirect object pronoun. If you wanted to highlight to whom she’s explaining, you’d use an indirect object pronoun (e.g., les explicará a los asistentes), but it’s optional when the audience is understood.
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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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