Breakdown of Ustedes saben que la corteza se viene rompiendo.
ustedes
you (plural)
saber
to know (facts) / to hear from (someone)
venir
to come
que
that / than
romper
to break
la
the (feminine)
se
(impersonal) one / passive marker
la corteza
the crust
Questions & Answers about Ustedes saben que la corteza se viene rompiendo.
Why use viene rompiendo instead of ha estado rompiendo for "has been breaking"?
Using venir plus a gerund (like rompiendo) is a great way to show that an action started in the past and has been gradually progressing or building up to the present. While ha estado rompiendo also means "has been breaking," viene rompiendo emphasizes the ongoing, accumulating process of the crust falling apart.
Why is rompiendo reflexive here (using se)?
Where else could the pronoun se go in this sentence?
When you have a conjugated verb followed by a gerund (viene rompiendo), you can put the pronoun before the conjugated verb (se viene rompiendo) or attach it directly to the end of the gerund (viene rompiéndose). If you attach it, you have to add an accent mark to keep the stress on the right syllable!
Is Ustedes only used in formal situations?
Not in Latin America! While European Spanish uses vosotros for informal groups and ustedes for formal ones, Latin American Spanish uses ustedes for all plural "you" situations. This sentence could be spoken to a group of close friends or a room full of geologists.
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