Cantamos a capela.

Cantamos comes from the verb cantar (to sing).

In this form, it can be:

• present indicative: we sing
• preterite: we sang

So by itself, cantamos is a first person plural form: we.

You usually know from context.

For example:

• Ahora cantamos a capela = we sing / we are singing a cappella now
• Ayer cantamos a capela = we sang a cappella yesterday

Spanish often leaves this kind of thing to time words or the wider situation. On its own, Cantamos a capela could be understood as either present or past.

Spanish often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

So cantamos already tells you it means we.
You could say Nosotros cantamos a capela, but that usually adds emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

For example:

• Nosotros cantamos a capela, pero ellos no.

A capela is a fixed expression. You should learn it as a whole, not word by word.

Here, a is not really the normal English-style to. The whole phrase a capela means without instrumental accompaniment. It works like an adverbial expression, telling you how the singing is done.

So in:

• Cantamos a capela

the phrase a capela modifies cantamos.

Because Spanish adapts many foreign expressions to Spanish spelling.

The standard Spanish form is a capela.
You may still see the original Italian spelling a cappella, especially in musical contexts, titles, or informal writing, but for standard Spanish, a capela is the form learners should know.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

can-TA-mos a ca-PE-la

More roughly:

• cantamos = kahn-TAH-mos
• capela = kah-PEH-lah

A few useful points:

• c before a sounds like k
• the stress is on ta in cantamos
• the stress is on pe in capela

Because both words follow the normal Spanish stress rules.

Words ending in:

• a vowel
• n
• s

are normally stressed on the second-to-last syllable.

So:

• can-TA-mos
• ca-PE-la

Since that stress is regular, no written accent is needed.

Yes, both are possible.

But they sound a bit more literal:

• sin instrumentos = without instruments
• sin acompañamiento = without accompaniment

A capela is the more natural set musical expression when talking about singing with no instrumental backing.

Yes, Spanish word order is flexible.

But Cantamos a capela is the most neutral and natural order.
A capela cantamos is possible, but it sounds more marked or emphatic, as if you want to highlight the way of singing.

So for a learner, Cantamos a capela is the best default pattern.