Abrí la válvula e inflé la cámara de aire.

and (before an i/hi sound)

Breakdown of Abrí la válvula e inflé la cámara de aire.

• abrir: to open
• la cámara de aire: the inner tube
• la válvula: the valve

Questions & Answers about Abrí la válvula e inflé la cámara de aire.

What tense are abrí and inflé?

They are both in the preterite tense, first person singular: I opened and I inflated.

So:

• abrí = I opened
• inflé = I inflated / I blew up

The preterite is used here because these are completed actions in the past.

---

Why is there no yo in the sentence?

Spanish often drops subject pronouns when the verb form already makes the subject clear.

• abrí already tells you the subject is I
• inflé also tells you the subject is I

So Yo abrí la válvula e inflé la cámara de aire is possible, but yo is normally unnecessary unless you want emphasis or contrast.

---

Why does the sentence use e instead of y for and?

This is a very common Spanish spelling-and-sound rule.

Normally, and is y, but it changes to e before a word that begins with an i sound, to avoid an awkward repetition of similar sounds.

So:

• padre e hijo
• España e Italia
• abrí la válvula e inflé...

Since inflé begins with an i sound, y becomes e.

---