Breakdown of Ella fue a la izquierda por una estupidez.
ella
she
una
a, an (feminine)
ir
to go
por
for / by / through / in/during (part of the day)
la estupidez
stupidity
a la izquierda
on the left, to the left
Questions & Answers about Ella fue a la izquierda por una estupidez.
Why do we use por here instead of porque?
In Spanish, por is often used to express the cause or reason for something, translating to 'because of'. It is followed directly by a noun or adjective, like una estupidez in this sentence. If you wanted to use porque (because), you would have to follow it with a conjugated verb, such as porque hizo una estupidez (because she made a stupid mistake).
The translation says 'stupid mistake', but doesn't estupidez mean 'stupidity'?
Yes, the literal translation is 'stupidity'. However, in Spanish, estupidez is very commonly used as a countable noun to mean 'a stupid thing to do', 'a piece of nonsense', or 'a stupid mistake'. Saying she went left because of 'a stupidity' sounds awkward in English, so the translation adapts it to sound natural while keeping the exact meaning.
Why is there a la before izquierda? Can I just say fue a izquierda?
When talking about directions in Spanish, you almost always need the definite article la before izquierda (left) and derecha (right). You are literally saying she went 'to the left'.
Could we use se fue instead of just fue in this sentence?
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