Breakdown of Mis padres siempre llegaban tarde cuando yo era niño; antes cenábamos a las diez.
yo
I
ser
to be
mi
my
cuando
when
siempre
always
nosotros
we
tarde
late
cenar
to have dinner
las
the
;
semicolon
antes
before
el padre
the father
llegar
to arrive
diez
ten
el niño
the child
a
at
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Questions & Answers about Mis padres siempre llegaban tarde cuando yo era niño; antes cenábamos a las diez.
Why are the verbs in the imperfect (llegaban, era, cenábamos)?
Because the sentence describes habitual actions and background in the past. The imperfect in Spanish is used for repeated past actions (e.g., siempre llegaban), ongoing states (e.g., yo era niño), and routines (e.g., cenábamos).
Could I use the preterite instead (llegaron, cenamos)?
Only if you mean specific, completed occasions. For example, Mis padres llegaron tarde refers to one particular time. Siempre llegaron tarde is possible only for a limited, completed series (e.g., one course term), not a general childhood habit. Cenamos a las diez would mean “we had dinner at ten (on one occasion).”
Why is it Mis padres and not Los mis padres?
Spanish doesn’t use an article before possessive adjectives (mi, tu, su, nuestro…). So it’s Mis padres, not Los mis padres. If the possessive stands alone, you use the stressed form with an article: los míos (“mine”).
Why is it llegar tarde and not venir tarde or ser tarde?
The fixed expression for “to be late (to something)” is llegar tarde. Venir tarde can occur but is much less standard in this meaning. Es tarde means “it’s late” (the time of day), not “they arrive late.”
Why not llegaban tardes?
Because tarde here is an adverb (“late”), and adverbs don’t take plural or gender. Keep it singular: llegaban tarde.
Why ser in cuando yo era niño and not estar?
Life stages and inherent characteristics use ser. Being a child is an identity/role, so era niño is correct. Estar niño isn’t idiomatic in Spain.
Is the pronoun yo necessary in cuando yo era niño?
No. Spanish drops subject pronouns when the verb ending makes the subject clear. Cuando era niño is the default. Including yo can add emphasis or contrast.
What does antes mean here, and how is it different from antes de?
Here antes means “previously/back then,” contrasting the past with the present: Antes, cenábamos a las diez. Use antes de + infinitive/noun to mean “before [doing something]”: antes de cenar, antes de la cena. Don’t say antes de on its own in this meaning.
Why a las diez and not en las diez?
Clock times take a (“at”): a las diez. The article is feminine plural (las) because hora is feminine and hours two through twelve use las; for one o’clock it’s a la una.
Could I say comíamos instead of cenábamos?
In Spain, comer is the midday meal (lunch) and cenar is the evening meal (dinner/supper). So for dinner at 10 p.m., you need cenábamos, not comíamos.
Can siempre move in the sentence?
Yes. Both Mis padres siempre llegaban tarde and Mis padres llegaban siempre tarde are correct. The first is more common; the second can give slight rhythmic emphasis.
Does cuando take the subjunctive here?
No. With past, habitual, or completed events, cuando uses the indicative: cuando yo era niño. The subjunctive appears with future/pending actions: Cuando sea mayor, cenaré antes.
Do I need un in cuando yo era (un) niño?
It’s optional. Era niño treats it as a general life stage; era un niño is equally natural and can feel a touch more specific. You can also say de niño or (in Spain) de pequeño to mean “as a child.”
Why is there an accent in cenábamos?
In the imperfect, the nosotros form of -ar verbs takes an accent to keep the stress: -ábamos (e.g., cenábamos, hablábamos). For -er/-ir it’s -íamos (e.g., comíamos, vivíamos).