Breakdown of Esta tarde nos pondremos a probar la cámara nueva y a leer el guion de nuestra película corta.
Questions & Answers about Esta tarde nos pondremos a probar la cámara nueva y a leer el guion de nuestra película corta.
Literally, nos pondremos a comes from ponerse a + infinitive, which means “to start / to begin to do something”.
- poner = to put
- ponerse (reflexive) = to put oneself / to get / to become
- ponerse a + infinitive = to set oneself to / to start doing (an action)
So:
- nos pondremos a probar ≈ “we will start trying out”
- It adds the nuance of beginning the activity, not just doing it at some point.
Using just probaremos la cámara = “we will try the camera.”
Using nos pondremos a probar la cámara = “we will get started on trying the camera (this afternoon).” It feels a bit more like you’re initiating a task or session.
In Spanish, unstressed object and reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nos, os) go:
- Before a conjugated verb:
- nos pondremos
- nos vamos a poner
- Or attached to an infinitive, gerund, or affirmative command:
- ponernos
- vamos a ponernos
- pongámonos
You cannot say pondremos nos in standard Spanish; with a conjugated verb, the pronoun goes before it:
- ✅ nos pondremos
- ❌ pondremos nos
The structure is:
- ponerse a + infinitive = to start doing something
So you need a before each infinitive that depends on ponerse:
- nos pondremos a probar la cámara nueva
- y a leer el guion…
Essentially, it is:
- nos pondremos a [probar la cámara nueva] y a [leer el guion…]
Could you drop the second a?
- nos pondremos a probar la cámara nueva y leer el guion…
This is grammatically possible and some speakers would say it, but repeating a:
- makes the parallel structure clearer,
- sounds a bit more careful and natural in many contexts.
You can say:
- Esta tarde vamos a probar la cámara nueva y leer el guion de nuestra película corta.
Differences in nuance:
vamos a + infinitive = “we are going to (do something)”
- Very common in everyday speech, especially in Latin America.
- Neutral future plan.
nos pondremos a + infinitive = “we will start (doing something)”
- Emphasizes the beginning of the activity.
- Suggests more of a deliberate decision to get down to work, like “we’ll sit down and start testing the camera and reading the script.”
So the original sentence sounds slightly more like starting work on these tasks, not just casually doing them.
All of these are grammatically possible, but with different shades:
Esta tarde nos ponemos a probar…
- Present used with future time expression (esta tarde).
- Very common in spoken Spanish.
- Sounds like a fixed, arranged plan.
Esta tarde nos vamos a poner a probar…
- Very common in Latin America.
- Similar to English “we are going to start…”.
Esta tarde nos pondremos a probar…
- Simple future.
- Often a bit more formal or neutral/written than 1 or 2 in many dialects.
- Can sound slightly more “planned” or “projected”.
All three are correct; choice depends on style and region. The sentence with nos pondremos is perfectly natural in writing and somewhat formal/neutral speech.
In this context, probar means “to try out / to test”:
- probar la cámara nueva = “to try out the new camera”, “to test the new camera”.
Meanings of probar:
to try / to test
- probar un coche = to test-drive a car
- probar un programa = to try out a program
to taste (food/drink)
- ¿Quieres probar el pastel? = Do you want to taste the cake?
to prove (in some contexts)
- probar su inocencia = to prove his/her innocence
But with an object like “la cámara nueva”, the natural meaning is to try out / to test, not “to prove.”
Yes. With nuevo/nueva, the position changes the nuance:
la cámara nueva (adjective after noun)
- Focus on being brand‑new, not used before.
- “the new (brand-new) camera”
la nueva cámara (adjective before noun)
- Often means “another” camera, new to us / in contrast to an old one.
- “the new camera (as opposed to the previous one)”
In practice, both can be translated as “the new camera”, but:
- la cámara nueva → emphasizes its newness as an object.
- la nueva cámara → emphasizes replacement/change (a new different camera).
The original la cámara nueva suggests you have a recently acquired camera that is new in itself.
For parts of the day referring to today, Spanish usually uses them without a preposition:
- esta mañana = this morning
- esta tarde = this afternoon
- esta noche = tonight
Using en (en esta tarde) is not how you normally express “this afternoon” in standard modern Spanish. You just say:
- Esta tarde vamos al cine. = This afternoon we’re going to the movies.
Compare:
- por la tarde = “in the afternoon / in the evenings (in general)”
- Trabajo por la tarde. = I work in the afternoon(s).
So esta tarde is a specific time today, which is why it’s used here.
The official rule (RAE) is:
- guion has one syllable: [gjon]
- Words of one syllable in Spanish do not take a written accent.
So the recommended spelling is:
- ✅ guion (script)
- ❌ guión
You may still see guión in older texts or from people used to the former spelling, but modern standard spelling in Spanish is guion.
Both are possible, but they have slightly different nuances:
el guion de nuestra película corta
- Literally “the script of our short film”.
- Normal way to say “the script belonging to / for that specific film.”
- Sounds like the script and the film are already strongly associated, maybe already written for that film.
el guion para nuestra película corta
- Literally “the script for our short film.”
- Emphasizes purpose more than belonging.
- Could sound a bit more like the script is being created/planned for that film.
In everyday usage, el guion de nuestra película corta is the most natural phrasing here.
Both can work, but there’s a difference in register:
película corta = literally “short movie / short film”
- Transparent for learners.
- Perfectly understandable and correct.
- A bit more informal / descriptive.
cortometraje = standard term for short film (as a category in cinema).
- More technical / cinephile / industry-standard word.
- Very commonly used when talking about film-making.
In many contexts, native speakers would actually say:
- el guion de nuestro cortometraje
The original película corta is fine and natural, just slightly more neutral/layperson phrasing than cortometraje.
You could say:
- …probar nuestra cámara nueva y leer el guion de nuestra película corta.
That would clearly mark both the camera and the film as ours.
In the original:
- la cámara nueva
- el guion de nuestra película corta
Possible reasons for not repeating nuestra:
Contextual ownership
- It’s often obvious from context that the camera is theirs (they’re the ones testing it), so la cámara nueva is enough.
- The nuestra is more crucial for the película, which is an abstract project; you want to make explicit that it’s our film.
Style / repetition
- Spanish tries to avoid unnecessary repetition of possessives when context is clear.
- Once you’ve said nuestra película corta, it is somewhat obvious that objects related to that project might also be yours.
So, nuestra cámara nueva is correct and possible; the version with la cámara nueva is simply more neutral and avoids extra repetition.
By itself, cámara can mean either, and context decides:
- cámara de fotos / cámara fotográfica = photo camera
- cámara de video / cámara de cine = video or film camera
In many modern, everyday contexts, especially when talking about movies (película), cámara is likely to be understood as a video / film camera, because it’s linked to the process of filming.
Given the rest of the sentence:
- …leer el guion de nuestra película corta.
It strongly suggests they’re working on a film project, so cámara nueva will usually be interpreted as a (video) camera for filming, not just a still photo camera.