Almorzamos en el mercado los fines de semana.

We have lunch at the market on weekends.

Breakdown of Almorzamos en el mercado los fines de semana.

• en: at
• nosotros: we
• el mercado: the market
• de: of
• el fin: the end
• la semana: the week
• en: on
• almorzar: to have lunch

Questions & Answers about Almorzamos en el mercado los fines de semana.

What is the difference between almorzar and comer for lunch in Spanish?

In many parts of Spain, comer is the most common verb for having the main midday meal, while almorzar can sometimes refer to a mid-morning snack or meal. However, in some regions and in much of Latin America, almorzar is also used to mean “having lunch.” In this sentence, almorzamos means “we have lunch.”

Why do we use en el mercado with the article el?

In Spanish, definite articles are used more frequently than in English. We say en el mercado (literally “in the market”) because we consider it a specific location where the action takes place. Even if the exact market isn’t named, it’s still treated as a distinct place that the speaker and listener are aware of.

Why do we say los fines de semana to talk about weekends?

Spanish uses los fines de semana in the plural form to mean “weekends” generally. It literally translates to “the ends of the week,” but functions as “on weekends” in English. Saying en fines de semana would sound incomplete, and el fin de semana would only refer to one specific weekend. The phrase los fines de semana covers every weekend in a habitual sense.

Which tense is almorzamos in, and why is it used?

Almorzamos is in the present tense (present indicative). It’s used to express a habitual or routine action: something that regularly happens on weekends. In English, it corresponds to “We have lunch at the market on weekends.”

Could we replace almorzamos with comemos or another verb?

Yes. If you want to emphasize that it’s the main midday meal, you could say comemos en el mercado los fines de semana (“We eat [have our midday meal] at the market on weekends”). Using desayunamos or cenamos would change the meal in question, referring to breakfast or dinner, respectively, but the sentence structure would remain correct.