Question 1

Why translate escondía as "used to hide" instead of just "hid"?

Accepted Answer

Escondía is the imperfect tense of esconder (to hide). We use the imperfect to talk about habits, routines, or repeated actions in the past. Translating it as "used to hide" captures that it was a continuous or repeated action, not just a one-time event.

Question 2

How do we get the ending for escondía?

Accepted Answer

To form the imperfect for regular -er verbs like esconder, you drop the -er and add -ía for the él/ella/usted form. Notice that the yo form is exactly the same (yo escondía), so we rely on the context or the subject (mi hermana) to know who is doing the action!

Question 3

I thought notas meant "notes". Does it also mean "grades"?

Accepted Answer

Yes! While notas can mean "notes" (like musical notes or written messages), in a school context, it is the standard word for "grades" or "marks" on a test or report card.

Question 4

Why is it sus notas (plural) if it's talking about one sister ("her")?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, possessive adjectives like su or sus must match the amount of the things being owned, not the owner. Because she is hiding multiple grades (notas), you have to use the plural sus, even though there is only one sister doing the hiding.

Question 5

Why doesn't the adjective rebelde end in an "a" to match hermana?

Accepted Answer

Adjectives that end in -e, like rebelde (rebellious) or inteligente (smart), are gender-neutral. They stay exactly the same whether you are describing a masculine or a feminine noun.

Mi hermana rebelde escondía sus notas terribles.

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