Breakdown of Nuestro objetivo es terminar a tiempo; descansemos cinco minutos y sigamos.
ser
to be
y
and
descansar
to rest
terminar
to finish
Questions & Answers about Nuestro objetivo es terminar a tiempo; descansemos cinco minutos y sigamos.
Why are descansemos and sigamos in that form—are they commands?
Yes. They’re the first-person plural imperative (the nosotros command), which in Spanish uses the present subjunctive forms. So:
- descansar → present subjunctive descansemos (Let’s rest)
- seguir → present subjunctive sigamos (Let’s keep going)
How do you form nosotros “let’s” commands in Spanish?
General rule:
- Start with the present-tense yo form, drop the -o, add endings:
- -ar verbs → -emos (e.g., hablemos)
- -er/-ir verbs → -amos (e.g., comamos, vivamos)
- Spelling changes carry over (e.g., paguemos, busquemos, almorcemos).
- Irregular yo forms carry over (e.g., tengamos, conozcamos).
- Exception: ir is irregular in the affirmative (vamos) but regular in the negative (no vayamos).
- Negative “let’s” is formed the same way as affirmative (except for ir): No descansemos, No sigamos.
Why is it sigamos and not seguimos?