Con un poco de suerte, terminamos antes del atardecer.

With a bit of luck, we’ll finish before sunset.

Breakdown of Con un poco de suerte, terminamos antes del atardecer.

• con: with
• nosotros: we
• terminar: to finish
• antes: before

Questions & Answers about Con un poco de suerte, terminamos antes del atardecer.

Why is terminamos in the present if we’re talking about the future?

Spanish often uses the simple present to refer to a near or expected future when the context makes it clear. Here, the idea is “we’ll finish.” You could also say:

• Terminaremos antes del atardecer. (simple future; a bit more formal or neutral)
• Vamos a terminar antes del atardecer. (very common in Latin America for planned/near future)

Could terminamos also be past tense here?

Yes. For -ar verbs, the 1st person plural present and preterite look the same. Terminamos can mean “we finish” or “we finished.” In this sentence, the phrase Con un poco de suerte makes a future reading much more natural. In a narrative context, though, you could get a past meaning like “With a bit of luck, we finished before sunset.”

Is the comma after the opening phrase necessary?

It’s recommended. After an initial adverbial like Con un poco de suerte, Spanish usually uses a comma to mark the pause. Omitting it isn’t a serious error, but the comma improves clarity.

What exactly does Con un poco de suerte do, and are there shorter or other options?