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Compramos dos entradas con un buen descuento hoy.

Compramos dos entradas con un buen descuento hoy.
We bought two tickets with a good discount today.
FromLesson 16inHardcore Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Compramos dos entradas con un buen descuento hoy.

Does compramos mean “we buy” or “we bought” here?

It can mean either. Compramos is both the present (we buy/are buying) and the simple past (we bought) in the 1st person plural. The adverb hoy doesn’t remove the ambiguity by itself.

  • Past today (most natural in Spain): Hoy hemos comprado dos entradas…
  • Past (yesterday, last week, etc.): Ayer compramos dos entradas…
  • Present/plan for today: Hoy compramos dos entradas… (“We’re buying two tickets today.”)
Since it says hoy, should I prefer hemos comprado in Spain?
Yes. In Peninsular Spanish, events that happened earlier today are often expressed with the present perfect: Hoy hemos comprado dos entradas con un buen descuento. Using simple past (hoy compramos) for a past event is understood and used in some areas, but the perfect is the default in much of Spain for “today.”
Can this sentence also mean “We’re going to buy them today”?
Yes. The Spanish present can express a near-future plan. Hoy compramos dos entradas can mean “We’re buying two tickets today.” Context and intonation normally make the intention clear.
Where can hoy go in the sentence?

Spanish is flexible with time adverbs:

  • Hoy compramos dos entradas con un buen descuento. (common, emphasizes “today”)
  • Compramos hoy dos entradas con un buen descuento.
  • Compramos dos entradas con un buen descuento hoy. (also fine)

Meaning doesn’t change, though putting hoy first highlights it more.

Do I need to say nosotros? And what about nos compramos?
  • You don’t need nosotros. The ending of compramos already tells you it’s “we.” Use nosotros only for emphasis or contrast: Nosotros compramos…, no ellos.
  • Nos compramos is reflexive and means “we bought ourselves.” It’s only used if you want to stress the benefit to the buyers themselves. Usually you just say Compramos dos entradas…
Why entradas and not billetes or boletos?

In Spain:

  • entradas = tickets for events or venues (cinema, theater, museum, concerts).
  • billetes = travel tickets (train, bus, plane) and banknotes.
  • boletos/tiquetes are Latin American terms, not typical in Spain.
Doesn’t entrada also mean “entrance” or “starter/appetizer”? How do I know it’s “tickets”?
Yes, entrada has several meanings. Here, the verb comprar plus the plural dos entradas strongly points to “tickets.” Other clues are typical collocations like comprar/sacar entradas and contexts like shows or museums.
Why un buen descuento and not un descuento bueno or un bueno descuento?
  • buen is the shortened form (apocope) of bueno used before a masculine singular noun: un buen descuento.
  • un bueno descuento is incorrect.
  • un descuento bueno is grammatically fine but less idiomatic; placing bueno before the noun (un buen descuento) is the usual, natural choice.
Why buen and not bien?
bien is an adverb (“well”), not an adjective, so it can’t modify nouns. You need the adjective bueno/buen. Correct: un muy buen descuento. Incorrect: “un muy bien descuento.”
Why con (un) descuento and not por or a?

The set phrase is con descuento / con un descuento (de …) to mean “with a discount.”

  • por un descuento is not how Spaniards express getting a reduced price.
  • a buen descuento isn’t idiomatic; to express “at a good price,” say a buen precio or a buen precio con descuento.
Can I drop the article and say con buen descuento?
Yes. Con buen descuento is common, especially in promotional style. Con un buen descuento sounds a bit more specific (“with a nice/sizeable discount” rather than just “at a good discount”).
Can I replace dos entradas with a pronoun?

Yes, if the tickets are already known in context:

  • Las compramos hoy con un buen descuento.
  • In the perfect: Las hemos comprado hoy con un buen descuento. Place the direct-object pronoun (las) before the conjugated verb.
How do I say the discount percentage naturally?

Common options in Spain:

  • con un 30 % de descuento
  • con un descuento del 30 %
  • In ads/signs: al 30 % (e.g., Entradas al 30 %)
Are there other natural verbs for “get/buy tickets” in Spain?

Yes:

  • sacar entradas (very common, “to get tickets”)
  • conseguir entradas (“to manage to get tickets,” sometimes implies it wasn’t easy)
  • Colloquial: pillar entradas; also coger entradas is fine in Spain (note that coger is avoided in some Latin American countries).
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