Question 1

Does compramos mean “we buy” or “we bought”?

Accepted Answer

It can mean either. The form compramos is the same for first-person plural in the simple present and the preterite.
- Present (habitual or current): “We buy”
  - Example: Por las mañanas compramos maíz. (We buy corn in the mornings.)
- Preterite (completed past): “We bought”
  - Example: Ayer por la mañana compramos maíz. (Yesterday morning we bought corn.)

In your sentence, without another time marker, it most naturally reads as a general/habitual present. To make it clearly past for “this morning,” say esta mañana.

Question 2

If I want to say “we used to buy” or “we were buying,” what changes?

Accepted Answer

Use the imperfect: comprábamos (note the accent).
- Comprábamos maíz en el mercado por las mañanas. (We used to buy corn at the market in the mornings / We would buy…)

Question 3

Why is there no article before maíz?

Accepted Answer

Because maíz is a mass/uncountable noun here. Spanish doesn’t use a partitive article like “some”; you just say compramos maíz. Use an article when talking about a specific batch or corn in general as a species:
- Specific: Compramos el maíz que recomendaste. (We bought the corn you recommended.)
- Generic: El maíz es básico en la dieta. (Corn is a staple in the diet.)

Question 4

Could I use regional words like elote, choclo, or jojoto instead of maíz?

Accepted Answer

Yes, depending on what you mean and where:
- Maíz: neutral/standard for the plant or grain across the Spanish-speaking world.
- Elote (Mexico, parts of Central America): usually a corn cob (fresh, on the cob).
- Choclo (Andes, Southern Cone): fresh corn/cob.
- Jojoto (Venezuela): corn on the cob.
If you mean cobs, you might say mazorcas de maíz.

Question 5

Why is it en el mercado and not al mercado?

Accepted Answer

- En marks location: comprar en el mercado = buy at/in the market.
- A marks motion toward: ir al mercado = go to the market. Note a + el = al.

Question 6

What does por mean in por la mañana? Could I say para la mañana?

Accepted Answer

Here por indicates a general time frame (“in the morning”). Para la mañana means “for/by the morning” (a purpose or deadline).
- Time frame: Compramos… por la mañana.
- Deadline/purpose: Lo tendremos listo para la mañana. (We’ll have it ready by the morning.)

Question 7

Is por la mañana the same as en la mañana or de la mañana?

Accepted Answer

- Por la mañana: widely used and neutral for “in the morning.”
- En la mañana: common in much of Latin America; also fine in many contexts.
- De la mañana: used with clock times: a las 9 de la mañana (at 9 in the morning).
- In Argentina/Uruguay, you may also hear a la mañana for “in the morning.”

Question 8

How do I say “this morning” and “tomorrow morning” correctly?

Accepted Answer

- This morning: esta mañana (or hoy por la mañana).
  - Esta mañana compramos maíz.
- Tomorrow morning: mañana por la mañana (also mañana en la mañana in many countries; mañana a la mañana in Rioplatense Spanish).
  - Mañana por la mañana compramos maíz.

Question 9

Does mañana mean “morning” or “tomorrow”? How do I avoid confusion?

Accepted Answer

Both exist:
- la mañana = the morning (note the article).
- mañana (no article) = tomorrow.
Use the article or a preposition to make it clear: por la mañana, esta mañana, mañana por la mañana.

Question 10

Can I move the time/place around? What word order options are natural?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Common options:
- Compramos maíz en el mercado por la mañana. (neutral)
- Por la mañana, compramos maíz en el mercado. (time up front; add a comma in writing)
- En el mercado compramos maíz por la mañana. (place up front for emphasis)
Spanish is flexible; moving time/place shifts emphasis, not meaning.

Question 11

How do you pronounce maíz, and why the accent mark?

Accepted Answer

- Maíz is two syllables: ma-ÍZ, with stress on the second syllable. The accent mark breaks what would otherwise be a diphthong and forces the stress: [ma-ˈis].
- In Latin America, z sounds like English “s.”
- Also note mañana has ñ (a separate letter), pronounced like the “ny” in “canyon.”

Question 12

If I replace maíz with a pronoun, which one is it?

Accepted Answer

Lo, because maíz is masculine singular.
- Lo compramos en el mercado por la mañana. (We buy/bought it…)

For plural items (e.g., cobs), use los: Los compramos… (the cobs).

Question 13

Is maíces a real plural? When would I use it?

Accepted Answer

Yes: maíces (z → c + -es, accent stays on í). It’s used mainly to talk about varieties or types of corn:
- Se cultivan distintos maíces en la región.
For multiple cobs, people more often say mazorcas (de maíz), not “maíces.”

Question 14

What are the genders of the nouns here, and how do they affect articles?

Accepted Answer

- maíz: masculine (el maíz) — no article in the sentence because it’s a mass noun.
- mercado: masculine (el mercado) — hence en el mercado.
- mañana: feminine (la mañana) — hence por la mañana.

Question 15

How would I say “We are buying corn at the market this morning”?

Accepted Answer

Use the present progressive and add a clear time marker:
- Esta mañana estamos comprando maíz en el mercado.
Spanish also often uses the simple present for near-present actions: Esta mañana compramos maíz… but the progressive highlights the ongoing action.

Compramos maíz en el mercado por la mañana.

Breakdown of Compramos maíz en el mercado por la mañana.

Questions & Answers about Compramos maíz en el mercado por la mañana.

Master Spanish — from Compramos maíz en el mercado por la mañana to fluency