Caminamos en la oscuridad.

We walk in the darkness.

Breakdown of Caminamos en la oscuridad.

• caminar: to walk
• en: at/in
• la oscuridad: the darkness

Questions & Answers about Caminamos en la oscuridad.

What does caminamos mean exactly here?

Caminamos is the first-person plural form of caminar (to walk), so it means we walk or we walked, depending on context.

This is a very common point of confusion, because for regular -ar verbs, the nosotros form of the present tense and the preterite can look exactly the same:

• caminamos = we walk / we are walking
• caminamos = we walked

So this sentence could mean either:

• We walk in the darkness
• We walked in the darkness

Usually, the surrounding context tells you which one is meant.

For example:

• Ahora caminamos en la oscuridad. = Now we walk / are walking in the darkness.
• Ayer caminamos en la oscuridad. = Yesterday we walked in the darkness.

Why is there no word for we in the sentence?

Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed. This is called being a pro-drop language.

So instead of saying:

• Nosotros caminamos en la oscuridad

Spanish very often just says:

• Caminamos en la oscuridad

The verb form caminamos already tells you the subject is we.

You can include nosotros if you want to add emphasis, contrast, or clarity:

• Nosotros caminamos en la oscuridad, no ellos.
  We walk in the darkness, not them.

But in normal speech, leaving it out is completely natural.