Questions & Answers about La ciclista paró para dejar pasar a un peatón en el paso de peatones.
Why is it la ciclista and not el ciclista?
Ciclista is a noun that can refer to either a man or a woman. The article tells you the gender of the person:
- el ciclista = the male cyclist
- la ciclista = the female cyclist
So in this sentence, la ciclista means the cyclist is female.
Is ciclista an adjective or a noun here?
Here it is a noun: the cyclist.
Words ending in -ista often work this way in Spanish: the word itself stays the same, and only the article changes.
Examples:
- el turista / la turista
- el artista / la artista
- el ciclista / la ciclista
Why is it paró and not paraba?
Paró is the preterite form of parar, and it describes a completed action:
- La ciclista paró = The cyclist stopped
This fits because the sentence tells us about one specific action in a sequence of events.
If you said paraba, that would usually sound more like:
- she used to stop
- she was stopping
- the action is seen as ongoing or habitual
Here, the speaker is talking about a single completed event, so paró is the natural choice.
Why does paró have an accent mark?
The accent mark shows both pronunciation and meaning.
- paro = I stop / unemployment / strike, depending on context
- paró = he/she/it stopped
So the accent helps distinguish the third-person preterite form from other forms or words.
What does para + infinitive mean in para dejar pasar?
Para + infinitive expresses purpose: in order to, so as to.
So:
- paró para dejar pasar... = she stopped in order to let ... pass
- more naturally in English: she stopped to let ... pass
This is a very common structure in Spanish.
Examples:
- Estudio para aprender. = I study to learn.
- Fue al supermercado para comprar pan. = He went to the supermarket to buy bread.
How does dejar pasar work?
Dejar pasar literally means to let pass or to allow through.
In this sentence:
- dejar pasar a un peatón = to let a pedestrian go through / pass
In natural English here, that usually becomes:
- to let a pedestrian cross
- to let a pedestrian pass
This is a common Spanish construction: dejar + infinitive.
Examples:
- Me dejó entrar. = He/She let me enter.
- No lo dejaron hablar. = They didn’t let him speak.
Why is there an a in a un peatón?
This is the personal a.
In Spanish, when the direct object is a person (or sometimes a personified animal/pet), you usually put a before it.
So:
- dejar pasar a un peatón
Even though un peatón is the direct object, Spanish adds a because it refers to a person.
Compare:
- Veo a María. = I see María.
- Ayudó a un vecino. = He/She helped a neighbour.
- Compró un coche. = He/She bought a car.
(No a, because coche is not a person.)
Why is it un peatón and not el peatón?
Un peatón means a pedestrian, so it introduces the person as non-specific or not previously identified.
- un peatón = a pedestrian
- el peatón = the pedestrian
If the listener already knew which pedestrian was meant, or if the speaker wanted to point to a specific one, el peatón might be used instead.
What exactly does peatón mean?
Peatón means pedestrian: a person travelling on foot.
Related words:
- a pie = on foot
- zona peatonal = pedestrian area / pedestrian zone
- paso de peatones = pedestrian crossing / zebra crossing / crosswalk
What does en el paso de peatones mean?
It means at the pedestrian crossing / crosswalk.
Literally:
- paso = crossing / passage
- de peatones = of pedestrians / for pedestrians
So el paso de peatones is the place where pedestrians cross the road.
In Spain, paso de peatones is a very standard term.
Why does the sentence use both peatón and peatones? Isn’t that repetitive?
It may feel repetitive in English, but it is normal in Spanish.
- un peatón = one pedestrian
- el paso de peatones = the pedestrian crossing
The second phrase is a fixed expression, so Spanish keeps it even if peatón already appeared earlier in the sentence.
English can also repeat the idea:
- The cyclist stopped to let a pedestrian cross at the pedestrian crossing.
That is correct, even if English speakers might sometimes rephrase it for style.
Could Spanish also say cruce de peatones instead of paso de peatones?
Yes, you may hear cruce de peatones, and it is understandable, but in Spain paso de peatones is especially common and standard.
So for Spain-focused Spanish, paso de peatones is a very useful expression to learn.
Why is there no word for she before paró?
Spanish often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the person.
Here, though, the subject is expressed as La ciclista, so there is no need to add ella.
Spanish normally avoids unnecessary subject pronouns unless you want emphasis or contrast.
For example:
- La ciclista paró. = The cyclist stopped.
- Ella paró. = She stopped.
- Ella paró, no él. = She stopped, not him.
(Here ella adds contrast.)
Could the sentence say La ciclista se paró?
Yes, se paró is also possible in many contexts and often means stopped as well.
- paró = stopped
- se paró = stopped / came to a stop
In everyday Spanish, both can appear, depending on region and style. In this sentence, paró sounds perfectly natural.
How would these words be pronounced in Spain?
In most of Spain, c before e or i is pronounced like the th in think.
So:
- ciclista sounds roughly like thik-LEES-ta
- peatones has t, not th, because the t stays a normal t
- paso de peatones is roughly PA-so de pe-a-TO-nes
Also:
- paró is stressed on the last syllable: pa-RÓ
- peatón is stressed on the last syllable: pe-a-TÓN
That pronunciation feature is very characteristic of most Peninsular Spanish.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning SpanishMaster Spanish — from La ciclista paró para dejar pasar a un peatón en el paso de peatones to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions