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Las mujeres estaban salvando a los animales.

Las mujeres estaban salvando a los animales.
The women were saving the animals.
From Lesson 112:Past continuous (estaba -ndo)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Las mujeres estaban salvando a los animales.

Why does this sentence use estaban salvando instead of a regular past tense?
Estaban salvando is the past continuous tense. It emphasizes that the action of saving the animals was actively in progress at a specific moment in the past. It is formed using the imperfect tense of estar (estaban) plus the gerund of the main verb (salvando).
How do we get the word salvando?
Salvando is the gerund (the English '-ing' equivalent) of the verb salvar (to save). To make the gerund for an '-ar' verb, you simply drop the '-ar' ending and add -ando.
Could I use eran instead of estaban to say 'were'?
No, when forming continuous tenses like this one, you must always use the verb estar, never ser. Since the subject is las mujeres (they), we use the imperfect form estaban.
Why is there an a before los animales? Isn't the 'personal a' only for people?
The 'personal a' is mostly for people, but Spanish speakers also use it for specific animals they feel a connection to, such as pets or animals being actively rescued or cared for. Because the women are saving these specific animals, they get the 'personal a'.

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