Mi vecina compró trece flores para la terraza, pero una se marchitó enseguida.

Vecina is the feminine form of vecino, meaning female neighbour.

• vecino = male neighbour
• vecina = female neighbour

Since the sentence says Mi vecina, the speaker is talking about a woman.

Also notice that mi does not change for masculine or feminine:

• mi vecino = my male neighbour
• mi vecina = my female neighbour

The accent mark shows that compró is the preterite form, meaning bought.

• compro = I buy / I am buying
• compró = he/she bought

So:

• Mi vecina compró... = My neighbour bought...

The accent mark is important because without it, the word would mean something different.

Compró is the preterite, which is used for a completed action in the past.

Here, buying the flowers is a single finished event:

• Mi vecina compró trece flores... = she bought them, and that action is done.

If you used compraba, it would sound more like:

• she was buying
• she used to buy

That would not fit as well unless you were describing background information or a repeated habit.

Spanish numbers like trece do not change form here. They stay the same before plural nouns.

• trece flores = thirteen flowers
• trece libros = thirteen books
• trece casas = thirteen houses

So trece works the same no matter what noun follows.

The singular noun is flor = flower.

To make it plural in Spanish:

• if a word ends in a vowel, usually add -s
• if a word ends in a consonant, usually add -es

Since flor ends in r, it becomes:

• flor → flores

Para and por are both often translated as for, but they are used differently.

Here, para la terraza means the flowers were intended for the terrace or to go on the terrace.

So para expresses purpose or destination.

• compró flores para la terraza = she bought flowers for the terrace

If you said por la terraza, it would more likely mean something like:

• around the terrace
• through the terrace
• because of the terrace

So para is the correct choice here.

Spanish often uses the definite article (el, la, los, las) where English might use a possessive like his, her, their.

So para la terraza can naturally mean:

• for the terrace
• and in context, often for her terrace

Spanish does not always need to state the owner if it is already clear from context.

This is very common in the language.

Una refers back to one flower, and flor is a feminine noun:

• la flor
• una flor

So when you say one of them, it becomes:

• una = one (feminine)

If the noun were masculine, you would use uno.

The verb here is marchitarse, a very common way to say to wither or to wilt.

So:

• marchitar can mean to wither something
• marchitarse means to wither / to wilt on its own

In this sentence, the flower undergoes the change itself, so Spanish uses the pronominal form:

• una se marchitó = one withered / wilted

This se is part of how the verb is commonly used in this meaning.

For the same reason as compró: it describes a completed past event.

• the neighbour bought the flowers
• one of them withered

Both actions are presented as finished events in the story.

So:

• compró = bought
• se marchitó = withered / wilted

If you used the imperfect, it would suggest an ongoing process or background description instead.

Enseguida is an adverb meaning:

• right away
• immediately
• very soon

It tells you that the flower withered quickly after being bought.

In this sentence:

• pero una se marchitó enseguida = but one wilted right away

It usually comes after the verb phrase, as it does here, though Spanish word order can sometimes vary.

Yes, enseguida is very common in Spain.

It is a normal everyday word for immediately or in a moment, depending on context. In some situations, it can mean truly right away, and in others it can mean soon.

Other similar words you may also hear are:

• inmediatamente = immediately
• al momento = right away
• ahora mismo = right now

But enseguida is very natural and common.

Because flores is not a person.

Spanish uses the personal a before a specific human direct object:

• Veo a mi vecina = I see my neighbour
• Conozco a María = I know María

But with things, you normally do not use a:

• compró flores = she bought flowers

So compró trece flores is correct.

Yes, Spanish word order is more flexible than English, although the original version is the most neutral.

For example, you could say:

• Mi vecina compró trece flores para la terraza, pero una se marchitó enseguida.
  This is the normal, straightforward version.

You could also shift things for emphasis, such as:

• Pero una se marchitó enseguida.
• Una se marchitó enseguida.

Those versions put more focus on one of them.

So the original sentence is the most standard, but alternatives are possible depending on emphasis.

In most of Spain, the letters z and soft c (before e or i) are pronounced like the th in thin.

So in much of Spain:

• vecina → roughly beh-THEE-na or veh-THEE-na
• trece → roughly TRE-the
• terraza → roughly te-RRA-tha

A few useful pronunciation notes:

• v and b sound very similar in Spanish
• r in terraza is tapped or rolled depending on position
• z in Spain is usually the th sound, not a z sound

In many parts of Latin America, those c/z sounds are pronounced like s instead, but for Spain, the th pronunciation is the usual model.

Because pero means but, and it joins two contrasting parts of the sentence.

Spanish normally uses a comma before pero when linking two clauses like this:

• Mi vecina compró trece flores para la terraza, pero una se marchitó enseguida.

This is very similar to English punctuation with but.