Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Caminamos por la acera hasta el cruce y luego esperamos la luz verde. - We walked along the sidewalk to the crossing and then waited for the green light.

In Spanish, por indicates movement along or through something (“walking along the sidewalk”), whereas en would suggest a static location (“standing on the sidewalk”). Since the sentence describes moving along the sidewalk, por la acera is the correct choice.

What does acera mean, and are there regional synonyms?

Acera means “sidewalk.” In Latin America you’ll also hear:

banqueta (especially in Mexico)
vereda (in parts of the Andes)
However, acera is widely understood across the region.

What does hasta mean in hasta el cruce?

Hasta means “up to” or “until.” It marks the endpoint of the movement: “we walk along the sidewalk up to the crossing.”

Is cruce the same as intersección?

Not exactly:

cruce can mean a “crossing” (often pedestrian) or a simple intersection.
intersección strictly means the point where two or more streets meet.
If you want to emphasize the pedestrian crosswalk, you can say cruce peatonal.

Why is there no subject pronoun nosotros in Caminamos… esperamos…?

Spanish often drops the subject pronoun because the verb endings already indicate who is acting. The -amos ending shows it’s we (nosotros), so adding nosotros is unnecessary unless you want extra emphasis.

How do I know if caminamos and esperamos are present tense (“we walk/wait”) or past tense (“we walked/waited”)?

The forms are identical for present and preterite in nosotros, so they’re ambiguous without context.

Add a time marker for clarity:
• Ayer caminamos… (Yesterday we walked…) → preterite
• Ahora caminamos… (Now we walk…) → present
In your example, context or accompanying adverbs would tell you which tense.

What does luego mean here?

Luego means “then” or “afterwards,” used to sequence actions. So the sentence says: first you walk to the crossing, then you wait for the green light.

Why is it esperamos la luz verde without a preposition before la luz?

When esperar means “to wait for,” it takes a direct object: esperamos la luz verde (“we wait for the green light”). You only use a preposition (like a) if you pair it with a subordinate clause (esperamos a que…).

How would I say “we wait until the light turns green” using hasta que?

You can use a subordinate clause and the subjunctive:
Esperamos hasta que la luz se ponga verde.
Note the use of the subjunctive se ponga after hasta que when indicating a future change.

Could I rephrase hasta el cruce as hasta cruzar la calle?

Yes.

hasta el cruce focuses on the physical point (the crossing).
hasta cruzar la calle (“until crossing the street”) uses an infinitive phrase to mark the action.
Both are correct but shift the emphasis slightly.

Why is verde not verda to agree with luz (feminine)?

Adjectives ending in -e (like verde) are invariable for gender: they’re the same for masculine and feminine nouns. You’d only see a change if the adjective ended in -o (e.g., rojo/roja).

What word means “traffic light” in Spanish?

The most common term is semáforo. Your sentence refers to its green signal as la luz verde del semáforo.