Questions & Answers about El tren tarda mucho por la huelga.
Why is por used here instead of para to say "because of"?
In this sentence, por expresses the cause or reason for something happening. The strike is the reason the train is delayed. Whenever you want to say "because of" or "due to" a noun (like a strike, the rain, or traffic), you use por. Can I use porque instead of por here?
No, you can't use porque right before a noun. Porque means "because" and must be followed by a conjugated verb (for example: porque hay una huelga - because there is a strike). Since la huelga is just a noun phrase, you must use por to mean "because of". Why does tarda mean "takes"? Wouldn't I use a form of tomar?
Tomar means "to take" in the sense of grabbing an object, taking a bus, or drinking. However, when talking about how much time an action takes or how long a delay is, Spanish uses the specific verb tardar. So, el tren tarda mucho translates to "the train takes a long time." The English translation says "a long time", but the Spanish just says mucho. Do I need to add tiempo?
You could say tarda mucho tiempo, but it is not necessary. In Spanish, when talking about duration with verbs like tardar or esperar (to wait), using mucho on its own naturally implies "a lot of time." Saying tarda mucho is the most common and natural way to phrase it. Learn El tren tarda mucho por la huelga and more in Spanish
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