Question 1

Why do both verbs in this sentence have nos in front of them?

Accepted Answer

In this sentence, nos is being used as a reciprocal pronoun meaning "each other." By placing nos in front of the verbs peleamos (we fight) and perdonamos (we forgive), it shows that the action is happening back and forth between the people involved: "we fight each other" and "we forgive each other."

Question 2

We previously learned that nos means "ourselves." How do I know it means "each other" here?

Accepted Answer

You are exactly right that nos is a reflexive pronoun for "ourselves" (like in nos lavamos, meaning "we wash ourselves"). However, plural pronouns like nos (we) and se (they/you all) double as reciprocal pronouns. You just have to rely on context! In this case, it makes much more logical sense to say "we fight each other" rather than "we fight ourselves."

Question 3

Since peleamos and perdonamos are spelled exactly the same in both the present and past tense, how do we know this is present tense?

Accepted Answer

Context is key! For regular -ar verbs, the "we" form (nosotros) is identical in the present tense and the simple past (preterite) tense. However, the word siempre (always) tells us this is an ongoing routine. If the speaker wanted to describe a routine in the past, they would have used the imperfect tense instead: nos peleábamos, pero siempre nos perdonábamos.

Question 4

Can I put siempre at the end of the sentence instead of before nos perdonamos?

Accepted Answer

You will be understood if you say pero nos perdonamos siempre, but it sounds much less natural. In Spanish, adverbs of frequency like siempre (always) and nunca (never) are usually placed right before the verb. When there is a pronoun like nos, the adverb goes before the pronoun.

Nos peleamos, pero siempre nos perdonamos.

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