En la terminal, esperamos tranquilas hasta que anuncien el embarque.

At the terminal, we wait calmly until they announce boarding.

Breakdown of En la terminal, esperamos tranquilas hasta que anuncien el embarque.

• en: at
• nosotros: we
• ellos: they
• esperar: to wait

Questions & Answers about En la terminal, esperamos tranquilas hasta que anuncien el embarque.

Why is tranquilas used instead of tranquilamente?

Because tranquilas is describing the people, not the manner of the action.

Here, esperamos tranquilas means something like we wait calm / we wait calmly, but Spanish often uses an adjective with verbs like this to describe the subject’s state while doing the action.

So:

• tranquilas = calm, relaxed, feminine plural
• tranquilamente = calmly, in a calm way

In this sentence, Spanish prefers tranquilas because it focuses on how we are while waiting.

Why is tranquilas feminine plural?

It agrees with the implied subject we.

The verb esperamos means we wait / we are waiting, and tranquilas tells you that this we is a group of females.

So the implied subject is basically nosotras.

Compare:

• esperamos tranquilos = we are waiting calmly, masculine or mixed group
• esperamos tranquilas = we are waiting calmly, all female group

Why isn’t nosotras written?

Because Spanish often leaves subject pronouns out when they are clear from the verb form.

Esperamos already tells you the subject is we.
And tranquilas adds the extra clue that it is we women / we girls.

So nosotras is unnecessary unless the speaker wants emphasis or contrast.