Breakdown of Antes del torneo, colgamos una pancarta en la entrada del estadio para dar la bienvenida a todos los equipos.
Questions & Answers about Antes del torneo, colgamos una pancarta en la entrada del estadio para dar la bienvenida a todos los equipos.
In Spanish, the preposition de plus the masculine singular article el always contracts to del:
- de + el torneo → del torneo
You cannot say de el torneo; it’s grammatically incorrect.
With feminine nouns, there is no contraction:
- de la ciudad (not dela ciudad)
Colgamos can be either:
- present indicative, 1st person plural: nosotros colgamos = we hang / we are hanging (habitually)
- preterite (simple past), 1st person plural: nosotros colgamos = we hung
Both forms are spelled the same; only context tells you which it is.
In this sentence, Antes del torneo clearly places the action in the past, so colgamos is understood as preterite: we hung.
If you wanted to emphasize that it is happening now, you could say:
- Ahora colgamos una pancarta… – Now we are hanging a banner…
- Or with progressive: Estamos colgando una pancarta… – We are (right now) hanging a banner…
Pancarta is a feminine noun, so it takes una:
- una pancarta = a banner / large sign (often made of cloth or cardboard, used at events, protests, stadiums, etc.)
Similar words and nuances:
- un cartel – a poster or sign; can be smaller or printed.
- un letrero – a sign, usually with text, like a shop sign or road sign.
- una bandera – a flag (usually on a pole and made of cloth).
In a stadium welcoming teams, pancarta is natural because it suggests a big banner with a message, often hung up high.
Both en la entrada del estadio and a la entrada del estadio are possible, but they focus slightly differently:
- en la entrada del estadio – literally in/at the entrance of the stadium
- Emphasizes the location where the banner is placed.
- a la entrada del estadio – literally at the entrance to the stadium / when you reach the entrance
- Can emphasize either place or the point of arrival.
In this context, en la entrada del estadio fits very naturally because we’re talking about a physical object (the banner) being located at the entrance.
Dar la bienvenida is a fixed expression that means “to welcome (someone)”, literally “to give the welcome”.
Structure:
- dar la bienvenida a + person / group
- Damos la bienvenida a todos los equipos. – We welcome all the teams.
In this sentence, para dar la bienvenida expresses purpose:
- para + infinitive = in order to + verb / to + verb (purpose)
- para dar la bienvenida – to welcome / in order to welcome
So the idea is:
- We hung a banner in order to welcome all the teams.
Alternative verbs:
- para recibir a todos los equipos – to receive all the teams (also possible, but less formulaic than dar la bienvenida).
In Spanish, you normally use the “personal a” before direct objects that refer to people or person-like groups:
- Veo a mi amigo. – I see my friend.
- Conocemos a los jugadores. – We know the players.
Equipos are groups of people, and with dar la bienvenida, the a is part of the standard pattern:
- dar la bienvenida a alguien – to welcome someone
So:
- para dar la bienvenida a todos los equipos – to welcome all the teams
Even if you think of “teams” as abstract entities, Spanish treats them as groups of people here, so a is used.
The comma marks fronted information. When you put a time expression at the beginning of the sentence, it’s very common (and recommended) to use a comma:
- Antes del torneo, colgamos una pancarta…
You can also place the time phrase at the end, in which case you usually don’t use a comma:
- Colgamos una pancarta en la entrada del estadio antes del torneo.
Both are correct. The difference is just focus:
- At the beginning: Antes del torneo is highlighted.
- At the end: the time is mentioned as additional information.
In Spanish, common singular countable nouns almost always take an article (el / la / un / una) unless a specific rule removes it.
- el estadio – the stadium
- un estadio – a stadium
Here we are talking about a specific stadium (the one where the tournament is), so el estadio is natural:
- la entrada del estadio – the entrance of the stadium
Saying la entrada de estadio would sound incomplete or wrong in standard Spanish in this context.
Para and por both translate as “for” in English, but they have different uses.
Here, para expresses purpose / intention:
- para + infinitive = in order to + verb
- colgamos una pancarta … para dar la bienvenida
→ We hung a banner in order to welcome everyone.
Por is used more for reasons, causes, exchanges, duration, etc. It wouldn’t be correct to say:
- colgamos una pancarta … *por dar la bienvenida* – incorrect in this sense.
So para is the right choice because we are talking about why we did something (our goal), not the cause or reason in the por sense.
You could, but the nuance changes slightly:
- pancarta – a banner, often fairly large, hung up, typical in demonstrations or at sports events.
- cartel – poster / sign; can be printed, stuck on a wall, maybe smaller.
- letrero – sign (with lettering), often more permanent like a shop sign or a road sign.
In a stadium context, to welcome teams, pancarta is the most natural because it evokes a big, event-style banner.
Colgamos un cartel… is possible but may sound more like “we put up a poster/sign” than a large welcoming banner.