Word
Si no paras, este carro está a punto de chocar.
Meaning
If you do not stop, this car is about to crash.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Si no paras, este carro está a punto de chocar.
de
from / of
no
no, not
el carro
the car
estar
to be (location/state)
Questions & Answers about Si no paras, este carro está a punto de chocar.
How does the phrase está a punto de work here?
Why is paras in the regular present tense instead of the subjunctive after si (if)?
When a sentence starts with si and describes a real or highly possible situation, you always use the indicative (regular) present tense. You only use the past subjunctive after si for unlikely or imaginary situations.
I have learned other words for car. Is carro widely understood?
Carro is the standard word for "car" in many Latin American countries, including Mexico and Colombia. You will also hear auto in places like Argentina and Chile, while coche is the standard term in Spain.
Can I say si no te paras instead of si no paras?
It is better to just use paras. When used without a reflexive pronoun, parar means to bring motion to a stop, like stopping a vehicle. Using te paras usually translates to "you stand up", which would sound very strange in this driving context!