Breakdown of La actriz saludó a veintinueve personas después de la obra y siguió sonriendo.
después de
after
a
to
y
and
la persona
the person
Questions & Answers about La actriz saludó a veintinueve personas después de la obra y siguió sonriendo.
Why is it saludó and not saludaba or saluda?
Saludó is the preterite form of saludar for él/ella/usted: she greeted.
It is used because the greeting is seen as a completed action in the past. The sentence tells us that the actress greeted the people, and then another action followed.
- saludó = she greeted / completed past action
- saludaba = she was greeting / used to greet / ongoing or habitual past action
- saluda = she greets / present tense
So La actriz saludó... means The actress greeted...
Why is there an a before veintinueve personas?
This is the personal a.
In Spanish, when the direct object is a specific person or people, you usually put a before it.
So:
- saludó a veintinueve personas = she greeted twenty-nine people
Compare:
Even though English does not use a preposition here, Spanish usually does with people.
Why is it veintinueve as one word?