Breakdown of Nosotros íbamos a salir, pero está a punto de llover.
de
from / of
pero
but
nosotros
we
estar
to be (location/state)
ir
to go
a
to
salir
to go out / to leave
llover
to rain
el punto
dot / point
Questions & Answers about Nosotros íbamos a salir, pero está a punto de llover.
How does the phrase "está a punto de" work in this sentence?
The phrase estar a punto de is a set expression that means "to be about to" or "to be on the verge of." You conjugate the verb estar (here, está to mean "it is") and follow it with an infinitive verb, which in this case is llover (to rain).
Why do we use the imperfect tense in "íbamos a salir" instead of the preterite?
Could I conjugate the weather verb and say "está a punto de llueve"?
No, in Spanish, whenever a verb directly follows a preposition like de, it must stay in its infinitive (unchanged) form. That is why we use the infinitive llover right after estar a punto de.
Is it mandatory to include the pronoun "Nosotros" at the beginning?
It is not strictly necessary because the verb ending in íbamos already tells us the subject is "we." However, native speakers often include it to emphasize a contrast, like contrasting what we planned to do with what the weather is doing.
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