Competimos en el concurso de preguntas.

Competimos is the first-person plural form of competir, so it means we compete or we competed, depending on context.

This form is a little tricky because it can be:

• present tense: we compete
• preterite: we competed

So by itself, Competimos en el concurso de preguntas can be understood in two ways. Usually the wider context makes it clear.

Here, en means in and is used to show the event or competition where the action happens.

So:

• competimos en el concurso = we competed in the contest

This is very natural in Spanish when talking about taking part in an event.

Compare:

• competir en un torneo = to compete in a tournament
• competir en una carrera = to compete in a race

If you want to say who you competed against, Spanish usually uses something else, such as contra:

• Competimos contra otra escuela = We competed against another school

Spanish often uses the definite article when referring to a specific thing already known in the situation.

So el concurso suggests:

• the contest in question
• a particular contest that speaker and listener both know about

If you said un concurso, that would mean a contest, without identifying it as a specific one.

Compare:

• Competimos en el concurso de preguntas = We competed in the quiz contest
• Competimos en un concurso de preguntas = We competed in a quiz contest

Literally, it means something like contest of questions.

In natural English, that would usually be understood as:

• a quiz contest
• a trivia contest
• possibly a question competition, depending on context

The structure noun + de + noun is very common in Spanish for describing the type of thing something is.

For example:

• una taza de café = a cup of coffee
• un programa de televisión = a television programme
• un concurso de preguntas = a quiz contest

Because de preguntas is describing the type of contest, not referring to specific questions.

So here preguntas is being used in a general, category-like way:

• concurso de preguntas = question-based contest / quiz contest

If you said de las preguntas, it would sound like you mean the questions specifically, which is different.

Compare:

• un libro de historia = a history book
• una clase de español = a Spanish class
• un concurso de preguntas = a quiz contest

This use of de + noun without article is extremely common in Spanish.

Because Spanish usually leaves subject pronouns out when they are not needed.

The ending -imos already tells you the subject is we.

So:

• Competimos en el concurso de preguntas = perfectly natural
• Nosotros competimos en el concurso de preguntas = also correct, but more emphatic

You might include nosotros if you want contrast, for example:

• Ellos miraban, pero nosotros competimos = They were watching, but we competed

Yes, competir is a good, natural verb if the idea is that we took part competitively in the contest.

But Spanish also has other possibilities depending on nuance:

• participamos en el concurso = we took part in the contest
• concursamos = we entered / took part in a contest, though this is less universal in all contexts

The difference is roughly:

• competir focuses on competing
• participar focuses on taking part

So Competimos en el concurso de preguntas clearly highlights the competitive aspect.

Yes, there can be.

Concurso often refers to a contest, especially an organised event where people compete, sometimes with rounds, prizes, or judging. It can also sound very natural for things like quiz shows or school contests.

Competición is more like competition in a broader sense and is often used for sports or formal competitive events.

So for a quiz contest, concurso is very natural.

Examples:

• un concurso de preguntas = a quiz contest
• una competición deportiva = a sports competition

You usually know from context, time words, or the surrounding conversation.

For example:

• Cada año competimos en el concurso de preguntas = Every year we compete in the quiz contest
  → present/habitual

• Ayer competimos en el concurso de preguntas = Yesterday we competed in the quiz contest
  → past

This ambiguity happens with some -ir verbs in the nosotros form, where the present and preterite look the same.

In Spain Spanish, roughly:

com-pe-TEE-mos en el con-CUR-so de pre-GUN-tas

A few useful pronunciation points:

• competimos stress on -ti-
• concurso stress on -cur-
• preguntas stress on -gun-

Also:

• c before o in concurso sounds like a hard k
• g before u in preguntas is a hard g, like in go

A rough full pronunciation guide could be:

kom-pe-TEE-mos en el kon-KUR-so de pre-GOON-tas