Question 1

Wait, doesn't para mean "for"? Why is it used here?

Accepted Answer

You are right that para is a very common word meaning "for." But in this sentence, it is actually a verb! It is the "it" form of the verb parar, which means "to stop." So, la lluvia nunca para translates to "the rain never stops."

Question 2

Could I put nunca after the verb instead?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but you would need to use a double negative. In Spanish, if a negative word like nunca (never) comes after the verb, you must put no before the verb. You could perfectly say: ¡La lluvia no para nunca en esta ciudad!

Question 3

Why is it esta ciudad instead of este ciudad?

Accepted Answer

Even though it doesn't end in an "-a", ciudad is a feminine noun. Therefore, it needs the feminine word for "this", which is esta. As a helpful rule, almost all Spanish nouns ending in "-dad" (like universidad or verdad) are feminine.

Question 4

I sometimes see esta written with an accent (está). Why doesn't it have one here?

Accepted Answer

esta (meaning "this") never takes an accent mark. está (with the accent on the "a") is a completely different word: it's the he/she/it form of the verb estar (to be). Since we are saying "this city" and not "is city", we use the unaccented esta.

Question 5

How would I change this sentence to say "I hope the rain stops" using this lesson's grammar?

Accepted Answer

To express that hope, you use ojalá (que) followed by the present subjunctive. Because parar is an "-ar" verb, its "it" form in the subjunctive changes the ending to an "-e". So you would say: ¡Ojalá que la lluvia pare en esta ciudad!

¡La lluvia nunca para en esta ciudad!

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