Leí el acertijo y la misión.

to read

Breakdown of Leí el acertijo y la misión.

• y: and
• el acertijo: the riddle
• la misión: the mission

Questions & Answers about Leí el acertijo y la misión.

Why is Leí written with an accent?

The accent in leí is important because it shows both stress and pronunciation.

It comes from the verb leer (to read) in the preterite (simple past):

• yo leí = I read
• tú leíste = you read
• él/ella leyó = he/she read

In leí, the í is stressed, and the word is pronounced in two syllables: le-í, not as one syllable.

Without the accent, Spanish spelling rules would suggest a different pronunciation, so the accent helps mark the correct form.

What tense is leí?

Leí is the preterite tense, which is used for a completed action in the past.

So Leí el acertijo y la misión means that the speaker finished reading both things.

This is different from the imperfect, which would suggest a repeated or ongoing past action. For example:

• Leía mucho = I used to read / I was reading a lot

Here, leí refers to one completed past event.

Why is there no word for I in the sentence?