Breakdown of Los invitados están por festejar y yo acabo de servir la champaña.
yo
I
y
and
estar
to be (location/state)
servir
to serve / to work / be suitable
por
for / by / through / in/during (part of the day)
el invitado
the guest
acabar de
to have just
festejar
to celebrate (with a party or festivity)
la champaña
champagne
Questions & Answers about Los invitados están por festejar y yo acabo de servir la champaña.
Why does this sentence use están por to mean 'are about to'?
The phrase estar por followed by an infinitive verb (like festejar) is a special structure that means an action is pending or on the verge of happening. It translates perfectly to 'to be about to' do something.
Could I use para instead of por here and say están para festejar?
Why does acabo de servir translate as 'I just served' rather than 'I finish serving'?
While the verb acabar usually means 'to finish', the specific formula acabar de plus an infinitive (like servir) means 'to have just done' something. Notice that we use the present tense acabo, even though in English you naturally translate it to the past tense ('I just served').
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