Breakdown of Mi prima toca la guitarra y el piano desde niña, pero todavía se pone nerviosa en los conciertos.
Questions & Answers about Mi prima toca la guitarra y el piano desde niña, pero todavía se pone nerviosa en los conciertos.
Why is it toca here?
Toca is the 3rd person singular present tense of tocar.
- tocar = to play a musical instrument
- mi prima = my cousin (female), so the verb must match she
- That gives us: mi prima toca = my cousin plays
The present tense is used here for a habitual / ongoing ability or activity:
- Mi prima toca la guitarra = My cousin plays the guitar
It does not mean she is playing right this second. It means this is something she does / knows how to do.
Why does Spanish say la guitarra and el piano instead of just guitarra and piano?
After tocar, Spanish normally uses the definite article with musical instruments:
- tocar la guitarra
- tocar el piano
- tocar el violín
This is one of the most common differences from English. English usually says:
- play guitar
- play piano
But Spanish usually says:
- play the guitar
- play the piano
So toca la guitarra y el piano is completely natural.
Why is it desde niña and not desde que era niña?
Both are possible, but they work slightly differently.
- desde niña = since childhood / since she was a girl
- desde que era niña = since she was a girl
In desde niña, Spanish uses a very compact expression:
- desde
- noun/adjective phrase
It is a shorter way to express an idea that in English often needs a full clause.
Compare:
- Toca el piano desde niña.
- Toca el piano desde que era niña.
Both are correct.
Desde niña is simply more concise.
Why is there no article in desde niña?
Because niña here is being used in a general descriptive way, almost like as a child or since childhood, not to refer to one specific girl.
So:
- desde niña = since childhood / since she was little
If you added an article, it would sound different and much less natural in this sentence.
This kind of article omission is common in fixed expressions like:
- de niño / de niña = as a boy / as a girl
- desde pequeño / desde pequeña = since childhood / since being little
Why does it say se pone nerviosa instead of está nerviosa?
Because ponerse nervioso/a means to become / to get nervous, while estar nervioso/a means to be nervous.
So the difference is:
- se pone nerviosa = she gets nervous
- está nerviosa = she is nervous
In this sentence, the idea is that when concerts happen, she becomes nervous, so ponerse is the better choice.
Examples:
- Antes del examen, me pongo nervioso. = I get nervous before the exam.
- Ahora estoy nervioso. = I am nervous now.
What is the role of se in se pone nerviosa?
Here, se is part of the pronominal verb ponerse.
- poner by itself usually means to put
- ponerse can mean to become in many contexts, especially for changes of state
So:
- pone = puts
- se pone nerviosa = she gets nervous
You should learn ponerse + adjective as a very common pattern:
- ponerse triste = to get sad
- ponerse contento = to become happy
- ponerse enfermo = to get sick
- ponerse nervioso = to get nervous
Why is it nerviosa and not nervioso?
Because the adjective must agree with mi prima, who is female.
- masculine singular: nervioso
- feminine singular: nerviosa
So:
- Mi primo se pone nervioso.
- Mi prima se pone nerviosa.
This is standard adjective agreement in Spanish.
What does todavía mean here, and why is it in that position?
Todavía here means still.
So:
- pero todavía se pone nerviosa = but she still gets nervous
It emphasizes that this is true even now, despite the fact that she has been playing for a long time.
Its position is very natural before the verb phrase:
- todavía se pone nerviosa
You could also hear aún in similar contexts:
- pero aún se pone nerviosa
Both are common, though todavía is very frequent in everyday speech.
Why is the sentence in the present tense if desde niña refers to the past?
Because Spanish often uses the present tense for an action or situation that:
- started in the past, and
- continues into the present
So:
- toca ... desde niña literally uses the present tense
- in English, we often prefer has played ... since childhood
This is a very important pattern:
- Vivo aquí desde 2018. = I have lived here since 2018.
- Estudia español desde pequeña. = She has studied Spanish since she was little.
So the Spanish present tense is perfectly normal here.
Why is it en los conciertos and not a los conciertos?
Because en is used to mean in / at the context or setting where something happens.
- en los conciertos = at concerts / in concerts
The sentence is saying that she gets nervous during concerts or when she is at concerts performing.
By contrast, a los conciertos would usually suggest movement toward concerts:
- Va a los conciertos = She goes to concerts
So here, en is the correct preposition.
Why does it say los conciertos instead of just conciertos?
Spanish often uses the definite article to talk about things in a general, repeated, or typical context.
So:
- en los conciertos = at concerts / in concerts generally
It does not necessarily mean some specific concerts already mentioned. It can refer to concerts as the kind of situation where this happens.
Spanish uses definite articles more often than English in these general statements.
Can I say Mi prima toca guitarra y piano?
In standard Spanish, especially in careful usage, toca la guitarra y el piano is the best choice.
Without the articles:
- toca guitarra y piano
this may sound incomplete or less standard to many speakers, especially in Spain.
So for a learner, the safest rule is:
- after tocar
- instrument, use the definite article:
- tocar la guitarra
- tocar el piano
- tocar la batería
- instrument, use the definite article:
Why is there no repeated toca before el piano?
Because Spanish, like English, can omit the repeated verb when the same verb applies to both items.
So:
- toca la guitarra y el piano
means:
- plays the guitar and the piano
You could repeat the verb:
- Mi prima toca la guitarra y toca el piano
but that sounds more repetitive unless you want emphasis.
So the version in the sentence is the most natural one.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning SpanishMaster Spanish — from Mi prima toca la guitarra y el piano desde niña, pero todavía se pone nerviosa en los conciertos to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓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