Usamos el planisferio bajo el cielo nocturno.

to use

Breakdown of Usamos el planisferio bajo el cielo nocturno.

• bajo: under
• el cielo nocturno: the night sky
• el planisferio: the star chart

Questions & Answers about Usamos el planisferio bajo el cielo nocturno.

What does usamos mean here? Is it present tense or past tense?

It can be either, depending on context.

• Present: we use
• Preterite / simple past: we used

In Spanish, usamos has the same form for:

• nosotros/nosotras present of usar
• nosotros/nosotras preterite of usar

So by itself, the sentence is ambiguous. Context tells you which one is meant.

Examples:

• Cada noche usamos el planisferio. = present, habitual
• Anoche usamos el planisferio. = past, one completed event

Why is there no word for we in the sentence?

Because Spanish often drops subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb form.

• Usamos already tells you the subject is we (nosotros/nosotras).

So Spanish usually says:

• Usamos el planisferio...

rather than:

• Nosotros usamos el planisferio...

You can still add nosotros for emphasis or contrast:

• Nosotros usamos el planisferio, pero ellos usan una app.

Why do we use el in el planisferio and el cielo nocturno?