Después del peaje, la carretera estaba casi vacía y el viaje se hizo más tranquilo.

Because del is the mandatory contraction of de + el in Spanish.

• de el peaje → del peaje

This happens whenever de is followed by the masculine singular article el, except when el is part of a proper name.

So here:

• Después de el peaje ❌
• Después del peaje ✅

A similar contraction happens with a + el = al.

Peaje usually means toll, but in real usage it can refer to a few related things:

• the toll charge
• the toll booth / toll plaza
• the toll section of a road

In this sentence, Después del peaje most naturally means after the toll booth / after passing the toll.

In natural English, you might think of it as:

• After the toll booth
• After passing the toll

So the Spanish is perfectly normal even though the literal English wording may feel a little broad.

Because estar is used for the road’s state or condition at that moment.

• La carretera estaba casi vacía = the road was almost empty
• this describes how it looked at that time

Using ser would sound wrong here because empty is not being presented as a permanent or defining characteristic of the road.

A useful contrast:

• La carretera estaba vacía = the road was empty
• La carretera era estrecha = the road was narrow

So:

• estar = temporary condition
• ser = more inherent description

Estaba is the imperfect, which is often used for background description.

Here, the sentence sets the scene:

• la carretera estaba casi vacía = the road was almost empty

This is not a single completed event. It is a description of the situation during that part of the trip.

Compare:

• estaba = was, used as background / ongoing state
• estuvo = was, but more like a completed state seen as a whole

In travel narration, Spanish often uses the imperfect for scenery, weather, traffic conditions, and general atmosphere.

Because vacía agrees with la carretera, which is feminine singular.

• la carretera → feminine singular
• therefore: vacía

Agreement in Spanish means adjectives match the noun in gender and number:

• la carretera vacía
• el camino vacío
• las carreteras vacías
• los caminos vacíos

So vacía is there because the road, not something masculine, is being described.

The accent in vacía shows the stress pattern and separates the vowels into different syllables:

• va-cí-a

Without the accent, Spanish pronunciation rules would suggest a different stress pattern.

This is a very common pattern with words like:

• vacío / vacía
• frío / fría
• tío / tía

For learners, the key point is just to remember that vacío/vacía is written with an accent.

Casi means almost.

So:

• casi vacía = almost empty

It softens the statement. The road was not completely empty, just very quiet.

Casi usually goes directly before the word it modifies:

• casi vacía
• casi imposible
• casi nunca
• casi todos

Here it modifies the adjective vacía.

Not really. In this sentence, hacerse means to become / to get / to turn.

So:

• el viaje se hizo más tranquilo = the journey became calmer / the trip got more peaceful

This is a common use of hacerse to express a change of state, especially a gradual or noticeable one.

Examples:

• Se hizo de noche = It got dark
• La situación se hizo difícil = The situation became difficult
• El viaje se hizo más tranquilo = The trip became calmer

So although hacer by itself means to make/do, hacerse here is a separate expression meaning to become.

Because tranquilo agrees with el viaje, which is masculine singular.

• el viaje → masculine singular
• therefore: más tranquilo

Even though carretera is feminine earlier in the sentence, this adjective is not describing the road. It is describing the trip/journey.

So:

• la carretera estaba casi vacía
• el viaje se hizo más tranquilo

Each adjective agrees with its own noun.

Yes, but it is not exactly the same.

• El viaje se hizo más tranquilo = the trip became calmer
• El viaje fue más tranquilo = the trip was calmer

The original sentence emphasizes a change: after the toll, things improved and the journey got calmer.

Using fue would describe the trip as calmer overall, but it would lose some of that sense of transition.

So the original version is better if the idea is:

• first one situation
• then, after the toll, the journey became more relaxed

Spanish uses definite articles much more often than English.

Here, la carretera and el viaje refer to the specific road and trip already understood from the context.

So Spanish naturally says:

• la carretera
• el viaje

where English might simply say:

• the road
• the trip

or in some contexts might be less explicit.

Leaving out the article would sound unnatural here.

Not exactly. Carretera is a general word for road. Depending on context, it can sometimes be translated as road, highway, or even main road.

In Spain, there are more specific words too:

• carretera = road
• autopista = motorway/toll motorway
• autovía = dual carriageway / major highway, usually without tolls
• calle = street

So in this sentence, carretera is a broad, natural choice. English translation depends on the situation.

Yes. Both are natural, but they focus slightly differently.

• Después del peaje = after the toll / after the toll booth
• Después de pasar el peaje = after passing the toll

The original is shorter and very natural in narration. The longer version is a bit more explicit about the action of going through it.

Spanish often prefers the shorter version when the meaning is obvious.

Yes, to some extent. Spanish word order is flexible, though the original sounds very natural.

Original:

• Después del peaje, la carretera estaba casi vacía y el viaje se hizo más tranquilo.

Possible variation:

• La carretera estaba casi vacía después del peaje y el viaje se hizo más tranquilo.

This still works, but the original version is better if you want to set the scene first with Después del peaje.

Putting the time/place expression first is very common in storytelling and travel descriptions.