Breakdown of Termino de preparar el informe y luego pido un café.
de
from / of
y
and
un
a, an (masculine)
el café
coffee
Questions & Answers about Termino de preparar el informe y luego pido un café.
Why do we need the word 'de' in 'Termino de preparar'? Can't I just say 'Termino preparar'?
In Spanish, when you want to express that you finish doing an action, you must use the phrase terminar de followed by an infinitive verb (like preparar). You cannot connect terminar directly to another verb without de.
The English translation says 'preparing'. Why doesn't the Spanish sentence use the -ing form 'preparando'?
After prepositions like de, Spanish always uses the infinitive form (the basic, unconjugated verb ending in -ar, -er, or -ir). Even though English uses the -ing form ('finish preparing'), the Spanish rule requires the infinitive: termino de preparar.
Why is the verb 'pedir' conjugated as 'pido'?
Pedir (to ask for or to order) is a stem-changing verb. In the present tense, the e in the stem changes to an i for the 'I' form, making it yo pido.
I learned that 'preguntar' means 'to ask'. Why does this sentence use 'pido'?