Cuando viajamos al bosque, a veces pasamos cerca del mar.

When we travel to the forest, sometimes we pass near the sea.

Breakdown of Cuando viajamos al bosque, a veces pasamos cerca del mar.

• cuando: when
• nosotros: we
• el: the
• a: to
• viajar: to travel
• la vez: the time
• ,: comma
• el bosque: the forest
• el mar: the sea
• pasar: to pass
• cerca de: near

Questions & Answers about Cuando viajamos al bosque, a veces pasamos cerca del mar.

Why do we say al bosque instead of writing a el bosque?

In Spanish, a + el contracts into the single word al when referring to a masculine noun. So we never write a el bosque, but rather al bosque.

Why do we have del before mar in cerca del mar?

Similar to al, de + el merges into del when the following noun is masculine. So cerca de el mar becomes cerca del mar.

What does a veces mean?

A veces translates to sometimes in English. It indicates an action or situation that happens on certain occasions but not always.

Could we say pasamos por el mar instead of pasamos cerca del mar?

It would change the meaning. Pasamos por el mar suggests you are going through or over the sea (which is unusual unless you're on a boat or a bridge!). Pasamos cerca del mar emphasizes that you travel close to the sea but not necessarily over it.

Is there any difference between cerca de and cerca del?

Yes. Cerca de is the basic phrase meaning near. When the next word is preceded by the masculine article el, you merge de + el into del, resulting in cerca del.

Why do we use viajamos instead of vamos or conducimos?

Viajamos focuses on traveling as a trip or journey. Vamos can mean just going somewhere, and conducimos implies driving specifically. In this sentence, viajamos gives the sense of setting out on a trip or journey to the forest.