Breakdown of Desde que usamos el planisferio, reconocemos más constelaciones.
usar
to use
más
more
desde que
since
reconocer
to recognize
Questions & Answers about Desde que usamos el planisferio, reconocemos más constelaciones.
Why does desde que mean since here?
Desde que is a very common Spanish way to say since when you are talking about the point in time when something started.
- Desde = from
- que = that/when
Together, desde que introduces the starting point of an ongoing situation:
- Desde que usamos el planisferio... = Since we started using the planisphere...
It often appears with a present tense in the main clause when the result still continues now.
Why are both verbs in the present tense: usamos and reconocemos?
Spanish often uses the present tense to talk about something that started in the past and is still true now, especially with expressions like desde que.
So:
- Desde que usamos el planisferio = since we have been using / since we started using the planisphere
- reconocemos más constelaciones = we recognise more constellations
In natural English, you might prefer:
- Since we started using the planisphere, we recognise more constellations or
- Since we've been using the planisphere, we've been recognising more constellations
Spanish does not always need a perfect tense where English often does.
Could usamos also mean we used?