Bebió un trago de agua.

Bebió is the preterite of beber. In this sentence, it describes one completed action in the past: the person drank a drink/sip of water.

So bebió suggests a finished event, not an ongoing or repeated action.

Spanish often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already gives that information.

Bebió can mean:

• he drank
• she drank
• you drank (formal singular, usted)

The exact meaning depends on the context. In a full conversation or story, you would usually know who the subject is.

The accent mark shows the correct stress: be-bi-Ó.

It also helps distinguish this form from others. For example:

• bebio would be incorrect
• bebió is the correct third-person singular preterite form

So the accent is not optional; it is part of the correct spelling.

Un trago de agua means a drink of water or a sip/swallow of water, depending on context.

Using trago makes the action more specific. Compare:

• Bebió agua = He/She drank water
• Bebió un trago de agua = He/She drank a drink/sip of water

So un trago refers to one amount taken at one time, not just water in general.

Here, trago means a swallow, a sip, or a drink.

A useful nuance:

• trago often sounds like a gulp/swallow/drink
• sorbo often sounds more specifically like a sip

In everyday Spanish, un trago de agua is very natural.

Also, trago can mean an alcoholic drink in other contexts, but here de agua makes the meaning clear.

Because un trago de agua is a quantity expression: a drink of water.

In Spanish, after expressions like this, you often use de + noun without an article:

• un vaso de agua = a glass of water
• una taza de té = a cup of tea
• un poco de pan = a bit of bread

So de agua is the normal structure here.

You would use del agua only in different contexts, for example when referring to specific water:

• el sabor del agua = the taste of the water

Great question. Agua is grammatically feminine, but in the singular it usually takes el or un before it because it begins with a stressed a- sound.

So you get:

• el agua
• un agua

not:

• la agua
• una agua

But it is still feminine, which you can see in adjectives:

• el agua fría
• esta agua limpia

In your sentence, though, agua does not have an article at all, because it comes after de in the expression un trago de agua.

This is a very normal Spanish word order:

verb + object

• Bebió = drank
• un trago de agua = a drink of water

Spanish often allows flexible word order, but this version is the most neutral and natural on its own.

You could also say:

• Se bebió un trago de agua in some contexts
• Un trago de agua bebió only for special emphasis, and it sounds much less neutral

So the original sentence is the straightforward default order.

The difference is mainly about how the past action is viewed.

• bebió = preterite → a completed action
• bebía = imperfect → an ongoing, repeated, or background action

Compare:

• Bebió un trago de agua. = He/She drank a drink/sip of water.
• Bebía agua. = He/She was drinking water / used to drink water.

With bebió, the action is seen as a finished event.

Yes. Tomó un trago de agua is also natural and common.

In Spanish, both beber and tomar can be used for to drink. Very broadly:

• beber is specifically to drink
• tomar can mean to take but is also commonly used as to drink

So both sentences work:

• Bebió un trago de agua
• Tomó un trago de agua

The first focuses more directly on the act of drinking; the second is also very idiomatic.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

beh-BYOH oon TRAH-goh deh AH-gwah

A few points:

• b and v sound very similar in Spanish
• trago has a clear t and a tapped/flapped r
• agua has two syllables: a-gua

The stress falls on:

• be-bi-Ó
• TRA-go
• A-gua