Breakdown of ¿Desde cuándo requiere el gobierno este trámite?
cuándo
when
este
this
requerir
to require
desde
since / from (a starting point)
el trámite
procedure / paperwork
el gobierno
government
Questions & Answers about ¿Desde cuándo requiere el gobierno este trámite?
Why do we use desde cuándo here instead of just cuándo?
Desde means since or from. Just like in English, we combine desde and cuándo to form ¿Desde cuándo...? (Since when...?) to ask about the starting point of an ongoing action. If you just asked ¿Cuándo requiere...?, it would mean When does it require...?, which asks for a specific or future time rather than a duration starting in the past.
Why is the subject (el gobierno) placed after the verb (requiere)?
I see requiere has an ie in it. Is requerir a stem-changing verb?
Yes! Requerir (to require) is an e to ie stem-changing verb in the present tense, just like querer (to want) or preferir (to prefer). That is why the e in the stem changes to ie for the he/she/it form, giving us el gobierno requiere.
Why is it este trámite and not esto trámite?
Este is the masculine singular word for this when it comes directly before a masculine noun (like el trámite). You only use esto when you are talking about an unknown object or a general abstract idea that is not followed by a specific noun, like when you ask ¿Qué es esto? (What is this?).
The English translation says paperwork. Is that exactly what trámite means?
A trámite is a very common and essential word in Latin America for a bureaucratic step, procedure, or piece of paperwork you have to complete. If you have to go to a government office or bank to submit forms or process an application, you are doing a trámite.
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