Breakdown of El abismo que vimos ayer fue mortal.
ser
to be
ver
to see / to look / appear
que
that / than
ayer
yesterday
Questions & Answers about El abismo que vimos ayer fue mortal.
Why is fue used here instead of era to describe the abyss?
Normally, background physical descriptions in the past use the imperfect tense (era). However, using the preterite (fue) frames the abyss, or rather your experience of encountering it, as a single, completed event that happened ayer (yesterday). It's less about painting a background picture and more like saying 'Our encounter with the abyss yesterday was deadly.'
Can mortal mean something other than literally 'causing death' here?
Why don't we need a personal 'a' after vimos?
The personal 'a' is only required when the direct object of a verb is a specific person or a beloved pet. Since el abismo is an inanimate object (a geographic feature), it acts as the direct object of vimos without needing an 'a'.
Why is que used for 'that' instead of eso?