Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): El sábado pasado asistimos a un taller sobre cómo preparar el currículum. - Last Saturday we attended a workshop on how to prepare a résumé.

You can omit el in a few contexts (e.g. in headings, notes, or some date expressions), but in a normal sentence like this, el sábado pasado is the standard and natural form.

Can I say el pasado sábado instead of el sábado pasado?

Native speakers almost always say el sábado pasado, with pasado after the day.

El pasado sábado is grammatically possible but sounds unusual or very marked; it might appear in poetic or very formal/literary style, not in everyday speech.

More natural alternatives include:

El sábado pasado… (most common: last Saturday)
El sábado anterior… (the previous Saturday – often contrasts with another time already mentioned)
El sábado (día) 3… (on Saturday the 3rd…)

Why is asistimos used here? Could I use fuimos instead?

Both are possible, but they’re not identical:

asistir a = to attend (to be present at an event as a participant/audience)
- El sábado pasado asistimos a un taller…
  → Emphasises that you took part / attended the workshop.
ir a = to go to (focus on the movement/going to the place)
- El sábado pasado fuimos a un taller…
  → More neutral; just says you went to a workshop (implies you were there, but less focused on participation as an event).

In this context, asistimos a un taller is a bit more precise and formal, matching the idea of attending a structured event.

Why is it asistimos a and not just asistimos or asistimos en?

The verb asistir meaning to attend is intransitive but requires the preposition a:

asistir a algo = to attend something
- Asistimos a un taller. = We attended a workshop.

Using en would be incorrect here:
✗ asistimos en un taller (wrong if you mean attend a workshop).

Also, be careful: asistir is a false friend of English to assist.

asistir a = to attend
ayudar a / echar una mano a = to assist (help)
atender a = to attend to, to look after (e.g. customers, patients)

So you should remember asistir a + event for to attend.

Why is the preterite asistimos used instead of hemos asistido?

Both tenses are grammatically possible, but they sound different, especially in Spain:

asistimos (preterite)
→ Presents the action as a completed event in a finished time period.
→ El sábado pasado asistimos a un taller…
The time phrase el sábado pasado clearly belongs to the past and is “closed”.
hemos asistido (present perfect)
→ Links the past action to the present in some way (we have (recently) attended).
→ In Spain, this is common for actions earlier today or in a time period still considered ‘current’ (este año, esta semana, etc.).

Since el sábado pasado is a fully past, finished time frame, asistimos is the most natural and standard choice.

What exactly does taller mean here? Is it the same as curso or clase?

In this context:

taller = workshop
A usually short, practical session focused on doing activities, exercises, or practicing skills. Often more hands-on and interactive.

Compared with other words:

curso = course (can be longer, with multiple sessions)
clase = class (often one lesson or session, or the group of students)
seminario = seminar (often more academic/discussion-based)

So un taller sobre cómo preparar el currículum suggests a practical, hands-on workshop about writing a CV.

What does sobre mean in un taller sobre cómo preparar el currículum? Could I use something else?

Here sobre means about / on / regarding:

un taller sobre cómo preparar el currículum
= a workshop about how to prepare a CV
= a workshop on how to prepare a CV

Common alternatives:

un taller acerca de cómo preparar el currículum
un taller de cómo preparar el currículum (heard in speech, though many prefer sobre or acerca de here)

Sobre is very common and sounds natural and neutral in Spain.

Why does cómo have an accent if it isn’t a direct question?

The accent marks it as an interrogative/exclamative word (meaning how), even inside an indirect clause:

Direct question:
- ¿Cómo preparo el currículum? = How do I prepare my CV?
Indirect question (reported/embedded):
- un taller sobre cómo preparar el currículum
  = a workshop about how to prepare a CV

In both cases, cómo keeps the accent because it still has an interrogative meaning.

Without the accent (como), it usually means as / like / since / because or I eat (from comer), so it would be wrong here.

Why is it preparar el currículum and not preparar tu currículum or preparar un currículum?

Spanish often uses the definite article (el, la, los, las) where English would use:

a possessive (your, my, his/her)
or a general noun without article.

Here, el currículum is understood generically as your CV or one’s CV in this context:

un taller sobre cómo preparar el currículum
≈ a workshop on how to prepare your CV / how to prepare a CV in general.

You could say:

…sobre cómo preparar tu currículum.
→ More explicitly “your CV”, quite natural in advertising to the reader.
…sobre cómo preparar un currículum.
→ Emphasises “a (typical) CV”, more generic.

But el currículum is very common and sounds perfectly natural here.

How is currículum used in Spain? Is it masculine or feminine? What about plurals and other forms like CV?

In Spain:

currículum is usually masculine:
- el currículum, un currículum
Plural is often heard as currículums or currículos; usage varies, and many people just avoid the plural.

You’ll also see:

currículum vítae (more formal/Latin)
CV (pronounced usually ce uve in Spanish; also written C.V.)

Examples:

Tengo que actualizar mi currículum. = I have to update my CV.
Envía tu CV por correo electrónico. = Send your CV by email.

In everyday speech, currículum or CV are the most common.

Can I change the word order, for example El sábado pasado fuimos a un taller… or Asistimos el sábado pasado a un taller…?

Yes, there is some flexibility:

El sábado pasado asistimos a un taller sobre…
→ Very natural, neutral order.

Other acceptable variants:

El sábado pasado fuimos a un taller sobre…
→ Uses fuimos instead of asistimos; still natural.
Asistimos el sábado pasado a un taller sobre…
→ Also correct; the time expression moves after the verb.
El sábado pasado estuvimos en un taller sobre…
→ Focuses more on being at the workshop than attending as an event, but still fine.

What you generally wouldn’t say is:

✗ El pasado sábado asistimos… (sounds odd in everyday Spanish)

So, you can move el sábado pasado a bit, but keep sábado pasado in that order, and use el.