Mis amigos y yo cocinamos hasta tarde los fines de semana.

the friend

Breakdown of Mis amigos y yo cocinamos hasta tarde los fines de semana.

• yo: I
• cocinar: to cook
• mi: my
• y: and
• tarde: late
• hasta: until
• de: of
• el fin: the end
• la semana: the week
• los: the

Questions & Answers about Mis amigos y yo cocinamos hasta tarde los fines de semana.

Why do we say Mis amigos y yo instead of Yo y mis amigos?

In Spanish, it's more common and polite to mention others before referring to oneself. Placing mis amigos first emphasizes the group, followed by y yo, indicating that you are part of that group. Grammatically, both orders are possible, but Mis amigos y yo is the more standard and natural-sounding expression.

What does hasta tarde specifically imply?

Hasta tarde literally means "until late." It implies that the cooking goes on well into the late hours of the day or night. It doesn’t specify how late, just that it’s later than usual.

How do we know cocinamos is in the present tense here?

In Spanish, cocinamos can correspond to both the present tense ("we cook") and the preterite tense ("we cooked"). However, the context includes los fines de semana, suggesting a habitual action rather than a completed past event. Therefore, we understand it as the present tense meaning "we cook (regularly)."

Why do we say los fines de semana instead of en los fines de semana?

Using los fines de semana is the standard way to say "on weekends" in Spanish. It's not incorrect to say en los fines de semana, but it sounds more natural and fluid to omit en when talking about routine activities that happen on weekends. The definite article los already conveys the idea of "on weekends."

Could we say hasta la tarde instead of hasta tarde?

Saying hasta la tarde would mean "until the afternoon," which stresses a specific time period (the afternoon). However, hasta tarde is more general and focuses on the idea of continuing an activity "until late" (whenever that late hour might be). They’re both valid, but they carry slightly different nuances.