Con niebla manejo con cuidado.

I drive carefully in fog.

Breakdown of Con niebla manejo con cuidado.

• yo: I
• con: with
• manejar: to drive
• el cuidado: the care
• la niebla: the fog

Questions & Answers about Con niebla manejo con cuidado.

What does the prepositional phrase Con niebla indicate in this sentence?

Con niebla is an adverbial phrase of condition or circumstance. It tells us under what weather condition the driving takes place—it means “when there is fog” or “in foggy conditions.”

Why is there no article before niebla (for example, la niebla)?

When talking about general weather conditions in Spanish, you often omit the article. So you say con viento, con lluvia, con niebla to mean “in wind,” “in rain,” “in fog.” You could add an article for specificity (con la niebla espesa = “with the thick fog”), but in a broad statement you drop it.

Why is the verb manejo used here instead of conduzco?

Both verbs mean “to drive.” In Latin America, manejar is more common, while speakers in Spain tend to say conducir. So manejo is simply the first-person singular present of manejar, equivalent to “I drive.”

Why isn’t the subject pronoun yo included (“Yo manejo”)?

Spanish is a pro-drop language: the verb ending -o in manejo already indicates the subject is “I.” Including yo is possible for emphasis (Yo manejo con cuidado), but it’s not required.

Why is it con cuidado instead of using the adverb cuidadosamente?

Both express “carefully.” Con cuidado literally means “with care” and is very common in everyday speech. Cuidadosamente is an adverb and a bit more formal or literary. You could say Manejo cuidadosamente and mean the same thing.

Could you change the word order to Manejo con cuidado con niebla?

Yes, you could say that, but it sounds a bit less natural. Placing the condition first (Con niebla, manejo con cuidado) highlights the circumstance and then states the action. Spanish often puts the setting or condition at the start for clarity.

Is Con niebla manejo con cuidado the same as saying Cuando hay niebla, manejo con cuidado?

Essentially yes—both mean “When there’s fog, I drive carefully.” Cuando hay niebla is a full clause (“when there is fog”), while con niebla is a shorter prepositional phrase. The shorter form is more idiomatic for weather conditions.