Breakdown of Este es el recinto en el que iba a tocar la banda.
ser
to be
en
in / on / at
tocar
to play (an instrument)
ir
to go
a
to
que
that / than
este
this
la banda
the band
el recinto
the venue / the enclosure
Questions & Answers about Este es el recinto en el que iba a tocar la banda.
Why do we need the article el in en el que? Couldn't we just say en que?
After short prepositions like en, de, or con, you can sometimes drop the article and just use que (like el recinto en que...). However, including the definite article (el, la, los, las) to match the noun is much more common and natural in modern Spanish. Here, el clearly points back to the masculine singular noun recinto.
Could I use en el cual or donde instead of en el que?
Why is the subject, la banda, at the very end of the sentence?
In Spanish relative clauses (the part of the sentence starting with en el que), it is very common to invert the subject and verb. This keeps the verb right next to the relative pronoun, which sounds better to a native speaker. Saying ...en el que la banda iba a tocar is grammatically correct, but putting la banda at the end flows much more naturally.
Why use the imperfect iba a tocar instead of the preterite fue a tocar?
The imperfect iba a tocar translates to "was going to play." It sets the scene by stating a past intention or plan, and in this context, it strongly hints that the plan didn't happen (perhaps the gig was canceled). If you used the preterite fue a tocar, it would mean the band "went to play" and actually completed the action.
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