Breakdown of El chico arrogante presumía como si hubiera comprado la ciudad.
comprar
to buy
la ciudad
the city
el chico
the boy (older / teenager)
como
as / like (such as, similar to)
haber
(auxiliary) have
si
if
arrogante
arrogant
presumir
to show off
Questions & Answers about El chico arrogante presumía como si hubiera comprado la ciudad.
Why is hubiera comprado used here instead of the normal past perfect había comprado?
The phrase como si (as if) always triggers a past subjunctive form in Spanish, because it introduces a hypothetical or contrary-to-fact scenario. He didn't actually buy the city! Because the hypothetical action ("had bought") happened before or alongside the main action, we use the past perfect subjunctive: hubiera + the past participle (comprado).
Would it be correct to say como si hubiese comprado?
Yes, absolutely. hubiera and hubiese are two different but equally correct forms of the imperfect subjunctive for haber. In Latin America, you will hear hubiera much more often in daily conversation, while hubiese sometimes appears in literature or more formal speech.
Why is the bragging expressed with the imperfect presumía instead of the preterite presumió?
The imperfect presumía sets a scene, describing an ongoing, continuous behavior in the past without a specific end point. It gives the feeling of "was bragging" or "used to brag." If we used the preterite presumió, it would sound like a single, completed instance of bragging that happened at one specific moment.
Does presumir only mean "to brag"?
While presumir translates perfectly to "brag" or "show off" in this sentence, it can also mean "to presume" or "to suppose" (just like in English). However, in everyday Latin American Spanish, using it to describe someone showing off is extremely common.
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