Question 1

What does ya que mean here, and could I just use porque instead?

Accepted Answer

Ya que translates to 'since', 'given that', or 'seeing as'. It is a cause connector used to introduce a reason that is often already known or logical. You could absolutely use porque here, but ya que is a great way to vary your vocabulary when explaining the context behind an action.

Question 2

Why is it se estudió instead of fue estudiado for 'was studied'?

Accepted Answer

Se estudió uses the passive se. In Spanish, this is the most natural and common way to say that an action was done to an object when we do not need to mention who did it. While fue estudiado is grammatically correct, the se construction is much more frequent in everyday speech.

Question 3

Why is estudió in the preterite while era is in the imperfect?

Accepted Answer

Estudió is an action with a clear beginning and end in the past; the studying of the fossil was an event that got completed. Era (was) is in the imperfect because it describes a background characteristic. The fact that the fossil belonged to a prehistoric animal was not a sudden action, but an ongoing truth.

Question 4

Why do we say era de un animal rather than just era un animal?

Accepted Answer

The sentence literally means the fossil was from (de) a prehistoric animal. If you said era un animal prehistórico, it would literally mean the fossil itself was an animal, rather than the preserved remains of one.

Se estudió el fósil, ya que era de un animal prehistórico.

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