Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Compramos helado en la heladería antes de volver a casa. - We buy ice cream at the ice-cream shop before returning home.

Compramos is the first-person plural form of comprar that serves as both the present indicative (we buy) and the preterite (we bought). In this sentence, the context—an action completed before going home—makes it a simple past: we bought.

Why isn’t there an article before helado (like el helado or un helado)?

When you purchase an unspecified amount of something (especially food), Spanish often omits the article.
• Compramos helado means “we bought some ice cream.”
If you want to emphasize a single serving, you can say compramos un helado. Use el helado only when referring to a specific ice cream already mentioned.

What does heladería mean, and how is that word formed?

Heladería is the ice cream shop or parlor. It’s built from helado (“ice cream”) plus the suffix -ería, which denotes a place where something is made or sold (e.g., panadería = bakery, cafetería = café).

Why do we use en la heladería instead of a la heladería?

En indicates the location of an action:
• Compramos helado en la heladería = “we bought ice cream at the ice cream shop.”
By contrast, a la heladería would signal motion toward that place: Fuimos a la heladería = “we went to the ice cream shop.”

Why is antes de followed by the infinitive volver instead of a conjugated verb?

When the subject of both verbs is the same, Spanish uses antes de + infinitive:
• antes de volver = “before returning.”
If the subjects differ, you’d say antes de que + subjunctive (e.g., antes de que tú volvieras).

Why do we say volver a casa without la before casa?

With verbs of motion and casa meaning one’s own home, Spanish drops the article:
• volver a casa, ir a casa, llegar a casa.
If you refer to a specific house, you include an article or possessive: volver a la casa de mi amigo.

Why is the preposition a used before casa while we used en for la heladería?

They serve different functions:
• a before casa marks movement toward home: volver a casa = “to return home.”
• en before la heladería marks location where something happens: compramos helado en la heladería = “we bought ice cream at the shop.”

Why is the preterite compramos used here instead of the imperfect comprábamos?

The preterite expresses a completed action at a definite point in time—we bought ice cream once before going home. The imperfect (comprábamos) would imply a habitual or ongoing action (“we used to buy” or “we were buying”), which doesn’t match this single event.

Can we say compramos helados instead of compramos helado?

Yes.
• Compramos helado (singular) treats ice cream as an uncountable item: “we bought some ice cream.”
• Compramos helados (plural) implies multiple units or servings: “we bought ice creams,” e.g., one per person.

Why isn’t the subject pronoun nosotros used before compramos?

Spanish verbs carry person and number endings, so the subject pronoun is often unnecessary. Compramos already means “we (nosotros) bought.” You’d only add nosotros for emphasis or contrast: Nosotros compramos helado, not someone else.