Breakdown of Me dijeron que tu primo residía en México y ejercía la medicina.
México
Mexico
y
and
en
in / on / at
el primo
male cousin
tu
your
que
that / than
me
to me / me (direct object)
decir
to say, to tell
la medicina
medicine
residir
to reside
ejercer
to practice (a profession)
Questions & Answers about Me dijeron que tu primo residía en México y ejercía la medicina.
Why are residía and ejercía in the imperfect tense rather than the preterite?
This is a classic example of tense backshifting in reported speech. The original statement was likely in the present tense: Tu primo reside en México y ejerce la medicina. Because the reporting verb dijeron is in the past, the present tense verbs from the original statement shift a step back into the past, becoming the imperfect residía and ejercía. The preterite isn't used here because these were ongoing states, not completed actions, at the time they were reported.
If the cousin still lives in Mexico and works as a doctor today, shouldn't we keep the present tense?
You actually can use the present tense (reside and ejerce) if you want to emphasize that the statement is still an ongoing, present reality. However, standard Spanish heavily favors backshifting to the imperfect to match the past-tense introducer (dijeron). Using the imperfect is always grammatically safe in reported speech, even if the situation hasn't changed.
Why use ejercía instead of practicaba for practiced?
When talking about practicing a formal profession like medicine, law, or architecture, Spanish uses the verb ejercer. The verb practicar is generally reserved for practicing sports, hobbies, or skills, like practicing your pronunciation or playing an instrument.
Why is there a la before medicina?
In Spanish, fields of study, sciences, and abstract concepts require a definite article (el or la) when used in a general sense. While English omits the article for professions and sciences, Spanish requires it, making it ejercía la medicina.
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