Una vez, mi amigo y yo fuimos al mar.

Once, my friend and I went to the sea.

Breakdown of Una vez, mi amigo y yo fuimos al mar.

• el amigo: the friend
• yo: I
• mi: my
• el: the
• ir: to go
• a: to
• y: and
• el mar: the sea
• una vez: once

Questions & Answers about Una vez, mi amigo y yo fuimos al mar.

What does una vez mean in this sentence?

Una vez translates to “once” or “one time.” It indicates that the event happened on a single occasion in the past.

Who are mi amigo y yo in this sentence, and why is the order significant?

Mi amigo y yo means “my friend and I.” In Spanish, it is customary to mention the other person first as a polite form of self-reference.

What tense is used in fuimos, and which verb does it come from?

Fuimos is the first-person plural form in the preterite tense of the verb ir (to go). The preterite is used here because the action of going to the sea is completed.

Why is the contraction al used before mar?

Al is a contraction of a (to) and el (the). Since mar (sea) is a masculine noun, the contraction al is required for correct grammar.

How can we tell that fuimos is from ir (to go) rather than from ser (to be), given that both share this form in the preterite?

The context provides the clue. The phrase al mar (“to the sea”) indicates a direction or movement, which aligns with the verb ir (to go). If fuimos were from ser (to be), the sentence structure and context would be different.

Does starting the sentence with una vez serve a specific narrative purpose?

Yes, beginning with una vez sets a storytelling tone by indicating that the speaker is recounting a particular event from the past—much like saying “once upon a time” in English.