Prensamos el cuadernillo antes de encuadernarlo.

before

Breakdown of Prensamos el cuadernillo antes de encuadernarlo.

• el cuadernillo: the signature (bookbinding)
• prensar: to press flat; compress
• encuadernar: to bind (a book)

Questions & Answers about Prensamos el cuadernillo antes de encuadernarlo.

What form is prensamos here?

Prensamos is the 1st person plural form, so it means we press.

A useful extra point: for regular -ar verbs, the present and the preterite in nosotros look the same. So prensamos can mean either:

• we press
• we pressed

In this sentence, context decides the meaning. In a process description, it will usually be understood as we press.

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What exactly does prensar mean here? Is it just to press?

Yes, but in this context prensar is more specific than the everyday English verb to press.

It usually means something like:

• to put under pressure
• to press in a press
• to compress

Because the sentence is about bookbinding, prensamos suggests a technical step: putting the booklet or folded section into a press before binding it.

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What does cuadernillo mean exactly?