ELONIO
Log inSign up

Escribíamos el informe desde las tres hasta las cinco.

Escribíamos el informe desde las tres hasta las cinco.
We were writing the report from three until five.
From Lesson 120:Since and until (desde, hasta)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Escribíamos el informe desde las tres hasta las cinco.

Why do we use desde and hasta here instead of just de and a?
Both are actually correct! You could say de las tres a las cinco, but using desde and hasta (from / until) puts a little more emphasis on the duration and the specific starting and ending boundaries of the action.
Why is it desde las tres and not just desde tres?
When talking about time on the clock, Spanish always uses the feminine articles la or las because they refer to the hidden word las horas (the hours). So, just like we say son las tres (it is three o'clock), we say desde las tres (from three o'clock).
If there is a clear start and end time, why use the imperfect tense escribíamos instead of the preterite escribimos?
Great question! Usually, a defined time frame triggers the preterite to say an action was completed once and for all (escribimos = we wrote). However, the speaker chose the imperfect here to focus on the continuous, ongoing nature of the action during that window. It translates perfectly to "we were writing" rather than just "we wrote".
Why does escribíamos have an accent mark on the i?
In the imperfect past tense, all forms of -er and -ir verbs have an accent on the i in their endings (like -ía, -íamos, -ían). This keeps the spoken stress exactly on that letter, stopping the i and a from blending into a single syllable.

Learn Escribíamos el informe desde las tres hasta las cinco and more in Spanish

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Spanish →