Breakdown of ¿Ellos andan regateando un anillo usado de plata?
de
from / of
un
a, an (masculine)
ellos
they
el anillo
the ring
Questions & Answers about ¿Ellos andan regateando un anillo usado de plata?
Why use andan regateando instead of just están regateando?
While están regateando simply means "they are haggling" right now, andan regateando uses the verb andar (to walk/go around) plus the gerund (the -ando form) to add a sense of motion or repetition. It literally translates to "they go around haggling," painting a picture of them moving from stall to stall or spending a drawn-out amount of time bargaining.
Does using andar + gerund change the emotional tone of the question?
Why do we say anillo de plata instead of using a single adjective for "silver"?
In English, you can stack nouns together to describe something (like "silver ring"). Spanish doesn't do this. To say what something is made of, you almost always use the preposition de (of) plus the material noun. So, a silver ring becomes a "ring of silver" (un anillo de plata).
Could I change the word order to un anillo de plata usado?