Breakdown of Después me preguntó si podía encender la cámara o si prefería seguir sin vídeo.
Questions & Answers about Después me preguntó si podía encender la cámara o si prefería seguir sin vídeo.
«Después» here is an adverb meaning afterwards / then.
- «Después me preguntó…» = After that, he/she asked me…
- «Luego me preguntó…» is also possible and almost the same in this context. In Spain, después is slightly more neutral/formal; luego can sound a bit more colloquial or narrative, but both are fine.
- «Me preguntó después…» is also grammatically correct. Changing the position usually just changes the rhythm or emphasis, not the meaning.
So you can say:
- Después me preguntó… (most natural, neutral)
- Luego me preguntó…
- Me preguntó después…
All are valid; the original choice is just stylistic and very common.
In modern Spanish punctuation, a short adverb like «Después» at the start of the sentence does not need a comma, and it is usually written without one:
- ✅ Después me preguntó si…
You can add a comma («Después, me preguntó…»), but it tends to give a slightly more marked pause, often used in literary or very careful writing. In normal, everyday text, the version without a comma is more common and perfectly correct.
These verbs have different core meanings:
- preguntar (algo a alguien) = to ask (a question)
- «Me preguntó si podía…» = He/she asked me whether I could…
- pedir (algo a alguien) = to ask for / request (something)
- «Me pidió que encendiera la cámara» = He/she asked me (requested) that I turn on the camera.
- decir (algo a alguien) = to say / tell (something)
- «Me dijo que encendiera la cámara» = He/she told me to turn on the camera.
In the original sentence, the idea is that the person asked a question (Do you want to turn the camera on or stay without video?), not that they gave an instruction or made a request. So «me preguntó» is the correct verb.
This is indirect (reported) speech in the past. Spanish applies sequence of tenses:
- Direct question in the moment:
- «¿Puedes encender la cámara o prefieres seguir sin vídeo?»
- Reported later in the past:
- «Después me preguntó si podía encender la cámara o si prefería seguir sin vídeo.»
So:
- Present in the direct question (puedes, prefieres) → imperfect in reported speech (podía, prefería).
«Si podía encender…» matches the past reporting verb «me preguntó».
«Si puedo encender…» would sound like you’re mixing times (He asked me if I can…), which is usually incorrect in Spanish narrative.
«Si podría encender…» would add a nuance of politeness / hypothesis (if I could), and in reported speech it’s less natural here. The neutral, standard choice is imperfect: «podía».
In this sentence, «si» introduces an indirect yes/no question:
- «Me preguntó si podía encender la cámara…»
= He/she asked me *if / whether I could turn on the camera…*
So:
- «si» = “if/whether” in indirect questions after verbs like preguntar, saber, querer saber, no recordar, etc.
Examples:
- «No sé si vendrá.» = I don’t know if/whether he will come.
- «Me preguntó si estaba cansado.» = He asked me if I was tired.
«Que si» appears in more colloquial speech when reporting what someone said, often with decir:
- «Me dijo que si podía, encendiera la cámara.» (colloquial structure)
- «Me dijo que si quería, podía irme antes.»
But after preguntar it is normally just «si»; «Me preguntó si…» is the standard form.
In Spain, for this context (a webcam in a call), the most natural options are:
- encender la cámara = literally “turn the camera on” (like a light)
- activar la cámara = “activate the camera” (more technical/formal)
You may also hear:
- poner la cámara in informal speech, meaning something like “to put the camera on”, but encender/activar are clearer and more standard in this digital context.
«Prender la cámara» is much more Latin American; in Spain, prender is not normally used for turning on devices in everyday speech.
So, in Spain:
- ✅ encender la cámara (very natural)
- ✅ activar la cámara (perfect, slightly more technical)
- ⚠️ poner la cámara (colloquial, understandable)
- ❌ prender la cámara (sounds Latin American, not Peninsular)
Both are possible, but the meaning/clarity changes slightly.
«…si podía encender la cámara o si prefería seguir sin vídeo.»
Repeats «si», clearly marking two alternative indirect questions:- if I could turn on the camera
- or if I preferred to continue without video
«…si podía encender la cámara o prefería seguir sin vídeo.»
Drops the second si. It is still grammatical, and many speakers would say this in fast speech. The second part is understood as part of the same indirect question.
The version with the repeated «si» is slightly clearer and more balanced stylistically, especially in writing.
Same reason as with «podía»: sequence of tenses in reported speech.
Direct question (present):
- «¿Prefieres seguir sin vídeo?»
Reported later:
- «Me preguntó si prefería seguir sin vídeo.»
Present prefieres → Imperfect prefería after a past reporting verb me preguntó.
«Prefiero seguir» would break the tense sequence, as if you’re mixing he asked with a present I prefer.
«Preferiría seguir» would introduce a conditional nuance (I would prefer), which is not in the original neutral question. The imperfect prefería is the standard form here.
«Seguir sin vídeo» literally means to continue without video — i.e. keep the camera off in a call.
Alternatives:
- seguir sin cámara – understandable and also used; focuses on the device (camera) instead of the resulting video.
- seguir sin imagen – used in more technical/broadcast contexts (no picture), less common in everyday video calls.
In a typical Spanish (Spain) online meeting, you are very likely to hear:
- «¿Puedes encender la cámara o prefieres seguir sin vídeo?»
The phrase «seguir sin vídeo» is idiomatic for “stay in an audio-only mode.”
In Spain, the traditional and still very common spelling is:
- vídeo (with an accent)
The stress is on the first syllable: VÍ-de-o (three syllables). According to standard accent rules, that stress pattern requires an accent mark.
However, in most of Latin America, people usually pronounce it as vi-DÉ-o (stress on the second syllable), and the most common spelling there is video (no accent), matching that pronunciation.
Modern references (like the RAE) accept both spellings, but:
- In Spain: «vídeo» is more standard and expected.
- In Latin America: «video» is more common.
Given you specified Spanish from Spain, «vídeo» with accent is the appropriate form here.
Spanish usually omits subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows the person:
- «me preguntó» → the -ó ending shows it’s he/she/it (3rd person singular).
Adding the subject pronoun is only needed for:
- clarity (if several possible subjects)
- or emphasis/contrast.
You can say:
- «Después él me preguntó si podía encender la cámara…»
(emphasis on he, not someone else) - «Después ella me preguntó…»
(to make clear it was she).
In a neutral context, where it’s already clear who we’re talking about, natural Spanish simply uses «Después me preguntó…» without él/ella.