Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): El jueves pasado fuimos al teatro del barrio. - Last Thursday we went to the neighborhood theater.

Leaving out el (∗Jueves pasado fuimos…) sounds wrong in standard Spanish. The article is just part of the normal way you talk about specific days.

Can I also say el pasado jueves instead of el jueves pasado? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can say el pasado jueves, and it’s grammatically correct, but:

El jueves pasado is the most common, natural order in everyday speech.
El pasado jueves can sound a bit more formal or stylistic, and is heard more in written language (news, reports, storytelling).

Meaning-wise, both are “last Thursday”. In normal conversation in Spain, prefer el jueves pasado.

Why is fuimos used here instead of an imperfect form like íbamos?

Spanish has two main past tenses for actions: pretérito indefinido (simple past) and imperfecto.

Fuimos is pretérito indefinido of ir.
It’s used for a completed action at a specific time:
El jueves pasado fuimos… → one finished event, on a particular day.

If you said íbamos, it would suggest repeated / habitual past action or an action in progress:

Los jueves íbamos al teatro del barrio.
On Thursdays we used to go to the neighborhood theater.

In this sentence, the speaker talks about one specific, finished visit, so fuimos is the right choice.

How can I tell that fuimos here means “we went” (from ir) and not “we were” (from ser), since the forms are the same?

The preterite forms of ser and ir are identical (fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron), so you use context:

Ser (to be) usually links to a noun or adjective:
- Fuimos profesores. = We were teachers.
- Fuimos muy amables. = We were very kind.
Ir (to go) is followed by a place or destination, usually with a:
- Fuimos al teatro. = We went to the theater.
- Fuimos a Madrid. = We went to Madrid.

In fuimos al teatro del barrio, the structure ir + a + lugar (go + to + place) tells you it’s ir = to go: “we went.”

Why is there no subject pronoun nosotros before fuimos?

In Spanish, the verb ending usually shows the subject, so you don’t need to say the pronoun:

Fuimos already tells you it’s “we”.

You can say Nosotros fuimos al teatro del barrio, but:

It sounds more emphatic (“We went to the neighborhood theater”) or contrasty (e.g., Nosotros fuimos, ellos no.).
In neutral, everyday speech, Spanish generally omits subject pronouns unless needed for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

So Fuimos al teatro del barrio is the default, natural version.

What exactly does the contraction al mean? Why not just write a el teatro?

Al is the mandatory contraction of a + el:

a = to
el = the (masculine singular)
a + el → al

So:

Fuimos al teatro literally = We went to the theater (to + the).

You must contract a + el to al in standard Spanish:

✅ Fuimos al teatro.
❌ Fuimos a el teatro. (incorrect)

But if the article is la, los, or las, there is no contraction:

Fuimos a la tienda.
Fuimos a los teatros.

Why is it al teatro and not en el teatro?

a and en express different ideas:

a = movement / direction → to a place
Fuimos al teatro. = We went to the theater.
en = location / being inside → in / at a place
Estuvimos en el teatro. = We were in/at the theater.

In your sentence, the focus is on going there (movement), so Spanish uses a → al teatro.

Why is it teatro del barrio and not teatro en el barrio? Do they mean the same thing?

Both are possible, but there is a nuance:

El teatro del barrio
Literally: the theater of the neighborhood.
→ Usually understood as the (main/local) theater that belongs to / is associated with the neighborhood, almost like “our neighborhood theater.”
El teatro en el barrio
Literally: the theater in the neighborhood.
→ Just says its location (a theater that happens to be in that neighborhood), without the same “local, ours” feel.

In everyday speech in Spain, el teatro del barrio is very natural and idiomatic when you talk about the local neighborhood theater people know.

What does barrio mean in Spain? Is it the same as “neighborhood”?

Yes, barrio is usually translated as “neighborhood”, but there are some cultural nuances:

In Spain, cities are divided into barrios, which are urban areas / districts with their own identity (local shops, bars, maybe a square, local fiestas, etc.).
It can feel a bit stronger than “neighborhood” in English, closer to “(city) district” or “local area where you live and know people.”

So el teatro del barrio is the theater that serves or identifies with that local area.

Why is del used and not de el?

Like al, del is a mandatory contraction:

de = of / from
el = the (masculine singular)
de + el → del

So:

El teatro del barrio = The theater of the neighborhood.

You must contract de + el:

✅ del barrio
❌ de el barrio

Again, with la/los/las there’s no contraction:

de la ciudad
de los vecinos

Could I say el teatro de mi barrio instead of el teatro del barrio? Is there a difference?

Yes, both are correct, with slight nuance:

El teatro del barrio
→ The theater of the neighborhood (understood from context: our neighborhood).
El teatro de mi barrio
→ The theater of my neighborhood (explicitly says it’s your neighborhood).

If you’ve already made clear whose barrio you’re talking about, el teatro del barrio is enough and sounds very natural.
If you need to specify “my”, then el teatro de mi barrio is clearer.

Can I change the word order and say El jueves pasado fuimos al teatro del barrio vs Fuimos al teatro del barrio el jueves pasado? Are both correct?

Yes, both are correct:

El jueves pasado fuimos al teatro del barrio.
→ Emphasis on when it happened; you set the time first.
Fuimos al teatro del barrio el jueves pasado.
→ Starts with the action, then adds the time.

Both are natural. Spanish is flexible with time expressions; placing el jueves pasado at the start is very common when you’re introducing the topic.

Is jueves masculine or feminine? Does that affect the article el?

All days of the week in Spanish are masculine, so they use el:

el lunes, el martes, el miércoles, el jueves, el viernes, el sábado, el domingo

That’s why you say el jueves pasado, not la jueves pasada.

Does teatro here mean the building or the play (the performance)?

In this sentence it most naturally means the place / building:

Fuimos al teatro = We went to the theater (the venue).

If you want to refer specifically to the play as an artistic work, you’d usually add more detail:

Fuimos a ver una obra de teatro. = We went to see a play.
Fuimos al teatro a ver una comedia. = We went to the theater to see a comedy.

Here, without extra context, learners should understand teatro mainly as the theater building / venue.