Question 1

Why is escondía in the imperfect tense rather than the preterite?

Accepted Answer

This sentence uses reported speech. The main verb comprobamos (we proved) is in the past. If the original fact was stated in the present ('he is hiding the weapon' -> esconde), shifting the reporting verb to the past changes the present tense to the imperfect (escondía).

Question 2

Is comprobamos in the present tense or the past tense here?

Accepted Answer

It is in the past tense (preterite). For regular -ar verbs, the nosotros form is spelled exactly the same in both the present and the preterite. You have to rely on context to tell the difference. Here, the English translation 'proved' and the second past-tense verb escondía show us it happened in the past.

Question 3

Why do we use the masculine article el for arma if it ends in an 'a'?

Accepted Answer

The word arma is actually feminine. However, because it starts with a stressed 'a' sound, saying 'la arma' would blend the two 'a's together awkwardly. Spanish uses el for the singular form to make it easier to pronounce. In the plural, it goes back to normal: las armas.

Question 4

I thought comprobar meant 'to check'. Can it also mean 'to prove'?

Accepted Answer

Yes! While comprobar is often used for 'to check' or 'to verify', it also means 'to confirm' a fact or 'to prove'. By verifying that the suspect had the weapon, they proved it.

Nosotros comprobamos que el sospechoso escondía el arma.

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