Breakdown of En los partidos de baloncesto, mi hermana grita mucho cuando su equipo favorito gana.
Questions & Answers about En los partidos de baloncesto, mi hermana grita mucho cuando su equipo favorito gana.
In Spanish, en is the usual preposition for “at / in” a place or event.
- En los partidos de baloncesto = “at basketball games”
- Using a would suggest motion towards the games (voy a los partidos = “I go to the games”), not what happens during them.
- So en focuses on the location/time context: during / at basketball games.
In Spain:
- partido is used for sports matches/games:
- un partido de baloncesto = a basketball game
- un partido de fútbol = a football (soccer) match
- juego is more general: a game (board games, children’s games, play in general).
So partidos de baloncesto is the natural way to say “basketball games” in Spain.
Spanish normally links two nouns with de:
- partidos de baloncesto = literally “matches of basketball”, i.e. basketball games
- You can’t normally just put the nouns together like English “basketball games”.
So NOUN + de + NOUN is the regular pattern for “X games / matches / team / player”:
- equipo de baloncesto – basketball team
- jugador de baloncesto – basketball player
The comma separates an introductory phrase:
- En los partidos de baloncesto, (setting the context)
- mi hermana grita mucho… (main clause)
In normal writing, the comma is recommended because it makes the sentence easier to read.
You can omit it (En los partidos de baloncesto mi hermana grita mucho…) and it’s still grammatically correct, but most careful writing will keep the comma.
No, and in fact it sounds less natural here.
- Spanish usually omits subject pronouns when the subject is clear.
- The subject is already named: mi hermana.
- Adding ella would often feel redundant: Mi hermana, ella grita mucho… (possible, but marked/emphatic).
So mi hermana grita is the normal, neutral form.
The verb gritar (to shout, to scream) is not reflexive in this sentence.
- mi hermana grita = my sister shouts (she performs the action outwardly)
- A reflexive form se grita would suggest she is somehow shouting to/at herself, which doesn’t fit here.
So the simple form gritar is correct: mi hermana grita mucho.
Mucho and muy work differently:
- mucho modifies verbs and nouns:
- grita mucho = she shouts a lot
- tiene mucho dinero = she has a lot of money
- muy modifies adjectives and adverbs:
- es muy alta = she is very tall
- corre muy rápido = he runs very fast
Here we’re modifying a verb (grita), so it must be mucho, not muy.
In Spanish, the simple present is normally used for:
- habits / routines
- general truths
So:
- mi hermana grita mucho = my sister shouts a lot (whenever this happens)
- cuando su equipo favorito gana = when her favorite team wins (whenever that happens)
You don’t need a special “habitual” tense. The simple present covers that idea naturally.
Yes, both word orders are correct:
- cuando su equipo favorito gana
- cuando gana su equipo favorito
They mean the same thing. Differences:
- cuando su equipo favorito gana is a bit more neutral and common.
- cuando gana su equipo favorito can sound slightly more dynamic or focused on the action gana, but it’s a very subtle nuance.
Both are perfectly natural.
Both are possible, but:
- su equipo is the normal, short way to say “her team”.
- el equipo de ella is longer, and usually used only if you need to emphasize or clarify the owner:
- for example, to contrast: su equipo y el equipo de ella in a complicated context.
Remember: su can mean his / her / their / your (formal). Here, context from mi hermana makes it clear it means “her”.
In Spanish, most adjectives come after the noun:
- equipo favorito = favorite team
- casa grande = big house
- libro interesante = interesting book
Putting the adjective before the noun (favorito equipo) usually sounds wrong or, in some special cases with other adjectives, very poetic or stylistically marked. With favorito, equipo favorito is the standard order.
No, because favorito is agreeing with equipo, not with hermana.
- equipo is a masculine noun → equipo favorito
- If the noun were feminine, the adjective would change:
- película favorita (favorite movie)
- camiseta favorita (favorite T-shirt)
So the pattern is [noun gender] + [adjective matching that gender], regardless of who owns it:
- mi hermana tiene un equipo favorito – masculine noun → favorito
- mi hermana tiene una camiseta favorita – feminine noun → favorita
Baloncesto is the standard word in Spain for the sport basketball.
In many Latin American countries, you’ll also see:
- básquet, básquetbol, baloncesto (varies by country)
Since your sentence is in Spanish from Spain, baloncesto is the most natural choice.