Question 1

Why is it cuando avanzo (present indicative) and not cuando avance or cuando avanzaré, even though in English I might think of the future (“when I beat a hard level”)?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, time clauses with cuando (and similar words like en cuanto, hasta que, después de que) do not normally use the future tense.

You choose between:

1. Present indicative for general, habitual, or timeless facts:  
   - Cuando avanzo un nivel difícil en el videojuego, intento explicarle…  
     = “Whenever I beat a hard level in the videogame, I try to explain…”

2. Present subjunctive for a specific future event that hasn’t happened yet:  
   - Cuando avance al siguiente nivel, te avisaré.  
     = “When I reach the next level, I’ll let you know.”

Using cuando avanzaré is ungrammatical in standard Spanish in this kind of clause. So here, because the sentence describes a habit (something that happens again and again), cuando avanzo (present indicative) is the natural choice. If it were about one single future occasion, it would be cuando avance.

Question 2

What does avanzo un nivel difícil really mean? Are supero un nivel difícil, paso un nivel difícil, or subo de nivel better options?

Accepted Answer

Literally, avanzo un nivel difícil is “I advance a difficult level.” It’s understandable, but in everyday gaming Spanish (including in Spain) other verbs sound more idiomatic:

- superar un nivel – to clear/beat a level (fairly neutral, common)
- pasar un nivel / pasarme un nivel – to beat a level (very common and colloquial)
- pasar de nivel – to move on to the next level
- subir de nivel – to level up (raise your character’s level, gain XP), not exactly “clear a stage”

So a very natural rephrasing would be:

- Cuando supero un nivel difícil en el videojuego…  
- Cuando me paso un nivel difícil en el videojuego… (more colloquial)

Avanzar de nivel can also work: Cuando avanzo de nivel en el videojuego…

Question 3

Why is it en el videojuego and not en un videojuego?

Accepted Answer

The choice between el and un is just the usual definite vs. indefinite distinction:

- en el videojuego = in the videogame (that you and I already know / that I’ve been talking about)  
  → It sounds like there is a particular game in mind: that game I play frequently.

- en un videojuego = in a videogame (some videogame, not specified which)  
  → More generic, like “in a videogame” as a type of situation.

So the original sentence suggests that the speaker is talking about a specific game they regularly play. If they wanted to speak in a more general way about videogames, they could say en un videojuego instead.

Question 4

Why does intento go directly with an infinitive (intento explicarle) without de? And is trato de explicarle also possible?

Accepted Answer

With intentar, the standard pattern is:

- intentar + infinitive (no de)  
  - Intento explicarle el truco. = “I try to explain the trick to her.”

Adding de (intentar de explicarle) is incorrect in standard Spanish.

With tratar, on the other hand, the pattern is:

- tratar de + infinitive  
  - Trato de explicarle el truco. = “I try to explain the trick to her.”

In meaning, intentar and tratar de are very close: both mean “to try / to attempt.”  
Differences:

- intentar is a bit more direct and common.
- tratar de often feels slightly more “effort-oriented,” but in practice they often interchange.

So:

- Intento explicarle el truco… ✅  
- Trato de explicarle el truco… ✅  
- Intento de explicarle el truco… ❌ (wrong)  
- Trato explicarle el truco… ❌ (wrong)

Question 5

Why is it intento explicarle and not intento le explicar? Where can the pronoun le go?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, object pronouns like le can appear in two basic positions here:

1. Before the conjugated verb:
   - Le intento explicar el truco.

2. Attached to the infinitive:
   - Intento explicarle el truco.

Both of these are correct:

- Le intento explicar el truco que usé. ✅  
- Intento explicarle el truco que usé. ✅

What you cannot do is put le between the conjugated verb and the infinitive in that way:

- \*Intento le explicar el truco. ❌ (incorrect)

General rule:

- With one conjugated verb: pronoun goes before it.  
  - Le explico el truco.
- With a conjugated verb + infinitive/gerund, pronoun can go before the conjugated verb or attached to the infinitive/gerund:
  - Le voy a explicar el truco. / Voy a explicarle el truco.
  - Le estoy explicando el truco. / Estoy explicándole el truco.

Question 6

Why do we need both le and a mi amiga? Isn’t that redundant?

Accepted Answer

Structurally, le and a mi amiga both refer to the same indirect object (“to my friend”):

- le = indirect object pronoun
- a mi amiga = indirect object phrase with a

So yes, it’s doubling the indirect object. In Spanish this is not only allowed, it’s extremely common and often preferred, especially when:

- the indirect object is a person; and
- it is expressed with an “a + [person]” phrase.

So:

- Intento explicarle a mi amiga el truco… (very natural)  
- Intento explicar a mi amiga el truco… (grammatically possible, but sounds less natural and a bit bare in everyday speech)

When the full indirect object comes before the verb, using the pronoun is basically obligatory:

- A mi amiga le intento explicar el truco. ✅  
- \*A mi amiga intento explicar el truco. ❌ (sounds wrong to native speakers)

So learners should treat this “redundancy” as a normal pattern in Spanish: indirect objects (especially people) are typically expressed with both the pronoun and the a + persona phrase.

Question 7

Why is it le and not la for mi amiga? In English I say “explain to her”, so I’m confused.

Accepted Answer

The key is to distinguish direct and indirect objects.

- Direct object pronouns: lo, la, los, las  
- Indirect object pronouns: le, les

With explicar, the structure is:

- explicar algo a alguien  
  - algo = what you explain → direct object  
  - a alguien = who you explain it to → indirect object

In the sentence:

- el truco = direct object  
- a mi amiga = indirect object

So the correct pronoun for mi amiga is the indirect object pronoun:

- Le explico el truco a mi amiga. ✅  
  (“I explain the trick to her.”)

Using la would make mi amiga a direct object, which doesn’t match how explicar works:

- \*La explico el truco. ❌ (ungrammatical in standard Spanish)

So:

- Use le / les for “to someone” (a alguien).  
- Use lo / la / los / las for “something” that is the direct object.

The confusion comes from English “her”, which can be both indirect (“to her”) and direct (“I see her”). Spanish splits these roles more clearly.

Question 8

Why is it el truco que usé with usé in the past tense, if the main verbs are in the present (avanzo, intento)? Could I say el truco que uso instead?

Accepted Answer

Both el truco que usé and el truco que uso are grammatically correct, but they focus on slightly different ideas.

The original:

- Cuando avanzo un nivel difícil…, intento explicarle… el truco que usé.

Here, each time you beat a level, the act of using the trick is already completed before you explain it. Spanish often uses a past tense in a relative clause to show that the action is finished relative to the moment you’re talking about it:

- “I try to explain the trick that I used (to beat that level).”

If you say:

- el truco que uso

it sounds more like:

- “the trick that I (normally) use” – your usual, typical trick.

So:

- el truco que usé → the specific trick you used on that occasion (each time you beat a level, you explain the trick you just used).  
- el truco que uso → the trick you generally use (as a habit), regardless of a specific run.

In a habitual sentence like this, both are possible, but usé feels more like “the trick I just used for that level,” while uso suggests a standard, repeated method.

Question 9

Why is difícil placed after nivel (in un nivel difícil) and not before, like un difícil nivel?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, the default position for most adjectives is after the noun:

- un nivel difícil – a difficult level  
- una tarea complicada – a complicated task  
- una ciudad grande – a big city

Some adjectives can go before the noun, often with a slight change in meaning or emphasis (e.g. un gran problema vs. un problema grande), but un difícil nivel is not natural; it sounds strange or poetic at best.

So here the normal, everyday order is:

- un nivel difícil ✅  
- \*un difícil nivel ❌ (unnatural in normal speech)

Question 10

Does truco always mean “trick”? In a videogame context, is it like “cheat”, or more like “tip/strategy”? Could I say estrategia or consejo instead?

Accepted Answer

Truco is quite flexible. In a videogame context, it can mean:

- a trick / tip / clever way of doing something:
  - Te cuento un truco para pasar este nivel.  
    = “I’ll tell you a trick/tip to beat this level.”

It does not necessarily mean cheating in a negative way. It can simply be:

- a useful technique,  
- a shortcut,  
- a smart strategy.

Other words you could use, depending on nuance:

- estrategia – strategy  
  - la estrategia que usé = the strategy I used
- técnica – technique, method  
- consejo – advice, tip  
- truquillo – little trick (colloquial, often friendly/positive)

So in your sentence:

- el truco que usé can be understood as “the trick / technique / clever method I used,” not necessarily as unethical cheating.

Cuando avanzo un nivel difícil en el videojuego, intento explicarle a mi amiga el truco que usé.

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