Breakdown of Ustedes comen manzanas, pero nosotros compartimos el pan.
pero
but
comer
to eat
el pan
the bread
la manzana
the apple
nosotros
we
ustedes
you (plural)
compartir
to share
Questions & Answers about Ustedes comen manzanas, pero nosotros compartimos el pan.
Why does the verb compartimos end in -imos?
The word compartimos comes from the verb compartir, which means to share. Because compartir is a regular verb ending in -ir, you make the nosotros (we) form by dropping the -ir and adding -imos. Notice how the ending keeps the letter i from the original verb!
Since comer is an -er verb and compartir is an -ir verb, do they have completely different endings?
Actually, regular -er and -ir verbs share almost all of the exact same endings in the present tense! For example, they both use -en for ustedes. The big exception is the nosotros form. An -er verb uses -emos (like nosotros comemos), but an -ir verb uses -imos (like nosotros compartimos).
Does using ustedes mean they are speaking formally?
Not necessarily in this case! In Latin American Spanish, ustedes is the only way to say you when talking to more than one person. It is used for both formal and informal situations, so the speaker could be talking to a group of close friends or a group of strangers.
Why is there no word for the before manzanas, but there is an el before pan?
Do I have to include the words ustedes and nosotros in this sentence?
No, you could just say Comen manzanas, pero compartimos el pan and it would be perfectly correct. The verb endings (-en and -imos) already tell us who is doing the action. However, speakers often keep pronouns like ustedes and nosotros to highlight a strong contrast, like emphasizing the difference between what YOU do versus what WE do.
Learn Ustedes comen manzanas, pero nosotros compartimos el pan and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free