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Tenemos que esconder el regalo detrás de la cortina.

Tenemos que esconder el regalo detrás de la cortina.
We have to hide the gift behind the curtain.
From Lesson 90:Complex prepositions of place (encima de, debajo de...)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Tenemos que esconder el regalo detrás de la cortina.

Why do we need de after detrás? Can I just say detrás la cortina?
In Spanish, place words like detrás (behind), encima (on top), and debajo (under) need the word de when they are followed by the object you are talking about. You can't just say detrás la cortina; it must be detrás de la cortina (which translates literally as 'behind of the curtain').
Why is it Tenemos que esconder instead of just Tenemos esconder?
When you want to express an obligation ('have to'), you always use the phrase tener que followed by an unconjugated verb (an infinitive). If you drop the que, it sounds like you are saying 'We possess to hide' in English. The que is the essential bridge that changes the verb 'to have' into 'to have to'.
Is esconder used for hiding both objects and people?
Yes! You can use esconder for hiding objects, like el regalo (the gift) in this sentence. If you want to say you are hiding yourself, you would use the reflexive version, esconderse (for example, Me escondo means 'I hide myself').
Why does detrás have an accent mark?
The accent mark on detrás tells you to put the spoken stress on the last syllable (-trás). Without it, the standard rules of Spanish pronunciation would make you stress the second-to-last syllable (DE-tras), which is not how the word is pronounced.

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