Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): El crucero se detiene en una laguna frente a un glaciar. - The cruise stops in a lagoon in front of a glacier.

Detener (without se) is a transitive verb: it means “to stop” someone or something. You need a direct object:
• El capitán detiene al barco. (“The captain stops the ship.”)
Detenerse (with se) is the pronominal/intransitive form: it means “to stop oneself” or simply “to stop” (no object). The action reflects back on the subject:
• El crucero se detiene. (“The cruise ship stops.”)

Here, se signals that the crucero is doing the stopping, not being stopped by someone else.

What does crucero mean here? Does it refer to the trip or the ship?

Crucero can mean the journey (the cruise) or the vessel (the cruise ship).
Context and the verb help you decide. Because it “stops,” we understand it as the ship itself.
If you wanted to emphasize the itinerary, you might say el viaje en crucero (“the cruise trip”).

Why is the simple present tense used in se detiene instead of the present progressive?

Spanish often uses the simple present for scheduled or habitual actions, especially in narration.
El crucero se detiene sounds more neutral and descriptive than se está deteniendo, which would stress “right now, in the middle of stopping.”
You could say El crucero se está deteniendo en una laguna, but it’s less common for general statements about a route or schedule.

What preposition do we use to indicate where something stops in Spanish? Why is it en here?

The verb detenerse takes en to mark location: detenerse en X = “stop at X.”
En = “in/at.”
You cannot use a for that meaning; llegar a = “arrive at,” but detenerse needs en.

What’s the difference between laguna and lago?

• Lago = lake, usually larger, deeper, fully inland.
• Laguna = lagoon or small lake, often shallow, sometimes coastal or partly connected to the ocean.

In many Spanish-speaking regions, a coastal waterbody behind dunes is called laguna, even if it’s a saltwater lagoon. A laguna tends to evoke smaller size or special ecological features.

What does frente a mean, and could we use delante de or enfrente de instead?

Frente a = “in front of,” “facing,” or “opposite.” It often implies facing something directly.
Delante de also means “in front of,” but is more neutral about orientation.
Enfrente de (or en frente de) is colloquial and regional, meaning the same.

All three can work:
• El crucero se detiene en una laguna delante de un glaciar.
• El crucero se detiene en una laguna enfrente de un glaciar.

Why is there an indefinite article (un glaciar) instead of a definite one or no article at all?

Un indicates “a glacier,” not a specific, previously mentioned glacier.
If you’d already introduced that glacier or it’s uniquely identifiable, you’d use el glaciar:
• El crucero se detiene en la laguna frente al glaciar Perito Moreno.
Spanish generally requires an article before singular, countable nouns.

How do you pronounce glaciar in Spanish?

IPA approximation: [ɡlaˈθjaɾ] in Spain or [ɡlaˈsjaɾ] in Latin America.
Two syllables: gla-ciar (gla-SEE-ar).
The “ci” before a sounds like English “see-ah.”

Are there other verbs or expressions you could use instead of detenerse to say “to stop”?

Yes. Common alternatives for vehicles or ships:
• Parar (intransitive)
– El crucero para en una laguna.
• Pararse (pronominal)
– El crucero se para en una laguna.
• Hacer escala (to call at, to make a stopover)
– El crucero hace escala en una laguna frente a un glaciar.