Breakdown of Remamos a lo largo del río subterráneo.
el río
river
subterráneo
underground
remar
to row
a lo largo de
along
Questions & Answers about Remamos a lo largo del río subterráneo.
Why does a lo largo de become a lo largo del in this sentence?
A lo largo de is a set phrase meaning "along" or "the length of." Because the next word is the masculine singular article el (for el río), the preposition de combines with el to form the mandatory contraction del.
Does remamos mean "we row" (present) or "we rowed" (past)?
It can mean either! For regular -ar verbs like remar, the nosotros (we) form is exactly the same in both the present and the preterite (simple past) tenses. You have to rely on context to know if it means "we row" or "we rowed." The provided translation shows it is being used in the past tense here.
Could I just say Remamos por el río subterráneo?
Yes, you could, but it changes the nuance slightly. A lo largo de specifically emphasizes the spatial trajectory of moving along the length of the river. If you use the preposition por, it is more general and just means you rowed through, around, or by the river without highlighting the specific path as much.
Why does the word subterráneo have a written accent mark?
The accent mark shows you exactly where to put the spoken stress: on the a. Words that end in a vowel naturally have the stress on the second-to-last syllable (which would be the e). Since subterráneo breaks this natural rule and places the stress on the third-to-last syllable, it requires a written accent mark.
Learn Remamos a lo largo del río subterráneo and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free