Breakdown of Los peatones solían cruzar la avenida sin miedo.
los
the (masculine plural)
el miedo
fear
cruzar
to cross
la avenida
the avenue
Questions & Answers about Los peatones solían cruzar la avenida sin miedo.
What is the difference between saying solían cruzar and just using the imperfect cruzaban?
Both can translate to "used to cross" in English. However, solían comes from the verb soler (to be in the habit of). Using solían cruzar strongly emphasizes the routine or habit of crossing the avenue, whereas cruzaban is a bit more general and simply sets the scene of an ongoing action in the past.
Does solían always need to be followed by an infinitive verb like cruzar?
Yes, soler acts as a helper verb, so it is almost always followed by an infinitive. You won't see it used by itself to mean "used to" unless the main action was just mentioned and is heavily implied.
What is the singular form of peatones, and why does it lose an accent mark?
The singular is peatón (pedestrian). When you make it plural (peatones), you drop the accent mark. This is because Spanish words ending in "s" naturally place the spoken stress on the second-to-last syllable. Adding the "-es" puts the stress on the "o" naturally, making the written accent unnecessary.
Why is it sin miedo instead of sin el miedo?