Breakdown of Caminamos por el sendero de la reserva natural al amanecer.
nosotros
we
caminar
to walk
de
of
natural
natural
el amanecer
the sunrise
por
along
el sendero
the trail
la reserva
the reserve
al
at
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Questions & Answers about Caminamos por el sendero de la reserva natural al amanecer.
Is caminamos present or past here? How can I tell?
- In the 1st-person plural, the present and the simple past (preterite) look the same: caminamos.
- Context decides it.
- Habitual present: Siempre caminamos al amanecer. (We walk at dawn.)
- One completed past event: Ayer caminamos al amanecer. (We walked at dawn.)
- To say “we were walking/used to walk,” use the imperfect: caminábamos.
- To say “we are walking (right now),” use the progressive: estamos caminando.
Why is it por el sendero and not en el sendero or para el sendero?
- por = along/through/by (route or path): Caminamos por el sendero = We walked along the trail.
- en = in/on/at (location): Caminamos en el sendero suggests being on the trail, but doesn’t highlight the route.
- a = to/toward (destination): Caminamos al sendero = We walked to the trail.
- para isn’t used for physical route; it expresses purpose/recipient, so it doesn’t fit here.
What exactly does al amanecer mean? How is it different from en la mañana or de madrugada?
- al amanecer = at dawn/daybreak (around sunrise).
- en la mañana = in the morning (broader, after sunrise).
- de madrugada = in the very early morning, pre-dawn hours.
- Related: al anochecer = at dusk.
What does al stand for in al amanecer?
- It’s the contraction of a + el.
- el amanecer is the noun “the dawn,” so a + el amanecer → al amanecer = “at dawn.”
Do I need to include the subject pronoun nosotros?
- No. Spanish usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the subject.
- Add nosotros only for emphasis or contrast: Nosotros caminamos…, no ellos.
Why do we use the articles el and la here? Could I omit them?
- Spanish uses definite articles with specific, known nouns: el sendero, la reserva natural.
- Omitting them would sound ungrammatical or change the meaning.
- If you want “a trail/a nature reserve,” use un sendero / una reserva natural.
Should it be del instead of de la in de la reserva natural?
- de + el = del, but de + la does not contract.
- Since reserva is feminine, it’s de la. With a masculine noun it would be del: del parque nacional.
Can I move the time phrase? Is punctuation needed if I do?
- Yes: Al amanecer, caminamos por el sendero…
- When a time phrase comes first, a comma is standard after it.
How do I say “We were walking” or “We used to walk” instead?
- Use the imperfect: Caminábamos por el sendero…
- Past progressive (was/were + -ing): Estábamos caminando por el sendero…
What if I mean we walked through the nature reserve itself, not just along its trail?
- Caminamos por la reserva natural = we walked through/around the reserve.
- Cruzamos la reserva natural / Atraviesamos la reserva natural = we crossed the reserve from one side to the other.
Are there other natural ways to say this, like “followed the trail” or “hiked”?
- “Followed the trail”: Seguimos el sendero de la reserva natural.
- “Traversed the trail”: Recorrimos el sendero… (often implies covering it thoroughly).
- “Hiked”: Hicimos senderismo por la reserva / por el sendero.
- In many regions, andar can substitute caminar: Anduvimos por el sendero…
Is sendero the only word for “trail” in Latin America?
- sendero is widely understood.
- Regional options: vereda (common in parts of the Andes), camino (path/road), literary senda.
- Note: trilha is Portuguese, not Spanish.
Any quick pronunciation tips for this sentence (Latin America)?
- Stress: ca-mi-NA-mos; sen-DE-ro; re-SER-va; na-tu-RAL; a-ma-ne-CER.
- In most of Latin America, z and c before e/i sound like s (seseo): reserva, amanecer → “re-SER-va,” “a-ma-ne-SER.”
- Single r (as in sendero, reserva) is a quick tap of the tongue.