Breakdown of Ella nos miró con desprecio, como si no hubiéramos nacido en la élite.
ella
she
no
no, not
en
in / on / at
mirar
to look at / to watch
con
with
nos
to us
como
as / like (such as, similar to)
haber
(auxiliary) have
si
if
nacer
to be born
el desprecio
disdain
la élite
elite
Questions & Answers about Ella nos miró con desprecio, como si no hubiéramos nacido en la élite.
Why is hubiéramos nacido used here instead of the imperfect subjunctive like naciéramos?
The phrase como si (as if) always triggers a past subjunctive. You use the past perfect subjunctive (hubiéramos nacido) because the hypothetical event (being born) happened before the main action (looking at us). If the hypothetical action was happening at the same time she looked at us, you would use the imperfect subjunctive instead.
Could I use hubiésemos instead of hubiéramos in this sentence?
Yes! Both hubiéramos and hubiésemos are correct past subjunctive forms of the helper verb haber. In Latin America, the -ra ending (hubiéramos) is much more common in everyday speech, but you will still see the -se ending in literature or formal writing.
Why does the sentence use en for 'born into'?
In English, we say 'born into' a family, class, or situation. Spanish doesn't use a directional preposition like 'into' for this context. You simply use en to indicate the circumstances or group in which the birth took place.
Why use con desprecio instead of an adverb like 'disdainfully'?
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