Learn Spanish (Latin America): Cuando la cebra huye, la ves escapar del guepardo. - When the zebra flees, you see her escaping from the cheetah.

Cuando la cebra huye, la ves escapar del guepardo.

When the zebra flees, you see her escaping from the cheetah.

Breakdown of Cuando la cebra huye, la ves escapar del guepardo.

ver

to see / to look / appear

del

from the / of the

it / her (direct object)

escapar

to escape

Questions & Answers about Cuando la cebra huye, la ves escapar del guepardo.

Why does the Spanish sentence use the infinitive escapar when the English translation says 'escaping'?

With verbs of physical perception like ver (to see), you can use the infinitive (escapar) to describe witnessing the action. You could also use the gerund (escapando) to emphasize the ongoing process, but the infinitive is very common in Spanish even when English uses the -ing form.

Since escapar is an infinitive, can I attach the pronoun la to the end of it and say ves escaparla?

In this structure, it is highly preferred to place the pronoun before the conjugated verb. Because the pronoun (la) acts as the direct object of the perception verb (ves)—you are seeing her—it goes right before it: la ves escapar.

What verb does huye come from, and why is it spelled with a 'y'?

It comes from huir (to flee). For Spanish verbs ending in -uir (like huir, construir, destruir), you must change the 'i' to a 'y' in most present tense forms. This spelling change avoids having an unaccented 'i' trapped between two vowels.

Why do we use del (de + el) here instead of desde el for 'from the cheetah'?