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Ayer confirmamos el pedido por correo electrónico y guardamos el recibo.

Ayer confirmamos el pedido por correo electrónico y guardamos el recibo.
Yesterday we confirmed the order by email and saved the receipt.
FromLesson 17inHardcore Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Ayer confirmamos el pedido por correo electrónico y guardamos el recibo.

How can confirmamos be both “we confirm” and “we confirmed”? How do I know which it is here?
For -ar verbs, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: confirmamos, guardamos. The time marker Ayer (“yesterday”) tells you it’s the past here: “we confirmed / we saved.”
Why is the preterite used (confirmamos, guardamos) and not the imperfect?
The preterite marks completed actions at a specific point in time. Ayer anchors the actions to a finished time frame. The imperfect (confirmábamos, guardábamos) would describe ongoing/background actions, e.g., Ayer confirmábamos el pedido cuando nos llamaron (“We were confirming the order when they called”).
Can I say Ayer hemos confirmado instead of Ayer confirmamos?
In Spain, you don’t normally use the present perfect with a finished time expression like ayer. Say Ayer confirmamos. (In Latin America, the simple past is also the choice with ayer.)
Why por correo electrónico and not en un correo or a través de?
  • por
    • means of communication is the default: por correo electrónico, por email, por teléfono.
  • en un correo focuses on the message itself (“in an email”), not the channel.
  • a través de or mediante are fine but more formal: a través de correo electrónico / mediante un correo electrónico.
Do I need the definite article in el pedido and el recibo? When would it be un?
Use el when referring to a specific, known item (the order and the receipt you both know about). Use un if it’s non-specific or first mention: confirmamos un pedido (“we confirmed an order”).
What exactly does pedido mean in Spain? Is orden okay?
In Spain, pedido is the normal word for a purchase order. orden usually means a command or arrangement. You do see orden de compra in formal/business contexts, but everyday speech prefers pedido.
Does recibo mean the same as “invoice”? What about albarán or justificante?
  • recibo = receipt/proof of payment.
  • factura = invoice (bill issued for payment).
  • albarán (Spain) = delivery note/packing slip.
  • justificante = proof (e.g., proof of payment/attendance).
    So here recibo is “receipt,” not “invoice.”
Can I replace the nouns with pronouns to avoid repetition?

Yes, but watch ambiguity. Examples:

  • To avoid repeating el pedido: Ayer lo confirmamos por correo electrónico y guardamos el recibo.
  • To avoid repeating el recibo (if it’s clear): Ayer confirmamos el pedido por correo electrónico y lo guardamos. Using lo for both in the same sentence can confuse, so keep one noun explicit.
Where can I put ayer? Does placement change the meaning?

It’s flexible. Common options:

  • Ayer confirmamos el pedido… (neutral, very common)
  • Confirmamos ayer el pedido… (slight emphasis on “yesterday”)
  • Confirmamos el pedido ayer… (also fine) Meaning stays the same; placement shifts emphasis.
Do I need a comma after Ayer?
Usually no: Ayer confirmamos… is standard. A comma is optional if the fronted phrase is long or you want a pause for clarity, but with a short adverb like Ayer, omit it.
How do you pronounce the sentence in Spain?
  • recibo: the c before i is “th” in much of Spain: reh-THI-bo.
  • b and v sound the same; here it’s a soft “b” between vowels.
  • d between vowels is soft: pedido ≈ peh-DEE-tho/peh-DEE-do (soft d).
  • guardamos starts with a “gw” sound: gwaar-DAH-mos.
  • Stress: con-fir-MA-mos, guar-DA-mos, re-CI-bo.
    (Latin America pronounces the c in recibo like “s”: reh-SEE-bo.)
Could I just say por correo instead of por correo electrónico?
Be careful: por correo often means “by (postal) mail.” To be clear it’s email, say por correo electrónico or por email.
Why not confirmamos sobre el pedido?
Because confirmar is transitive: you confirm something directly. Say confirmar el pedido. Use sobre only if you mean “information about”: confirmar información sobre el pedido.
Does guardamos mean “we kept” or “we saved (a file)”?
It can mean either. Here, with recibo, it’s “we kept/saved the receipt.” If you want to stress filing, you can say lo archivamos; for a digital copy, lo guardamos en el ordenador.
Do I need an accent on confirmamos or guardamos to show the past?
No. The nosotros forms for -ar verbs are identical in present and preterite and have no extra accent. Context (like Ayer) disambiguates.
How would the sentence change for plural orders/receipts?
  • Ayer confirmamos los pedidos por correo electrónico y guardamos los recibos.
  • With pronouns: Ayer los confirmamos… y los guardamos.
Any Spain vs. Latin America differences I should know here?
  • Vocabulary: recibo (Spain and elsewhere), comprobante (very common in Latin America). pedido is standard; orden (de compra) appears more in business contexts.
  • Pronunciation: c before e/i as “th” in much of Spain, “s” in Latin America.
  • Tense: With ayer, both regions use the simple past (confirmamos), not the present perfect.
Is the personal a needed anywhere?
No. el pedido and el recibo are things, so no personal a. You would use a with a person as a direct object (e.g., Vimos a Ana), which is not the case here.
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