Breakdown of En el noticiero, el presentador afirmó que el accidente había ocurrido ayer.
en
in / on / at
que
that / than
el accidente
the accident
ayer
yesterday
Questions & Answers about En el noticiero, el presentador afirmó que el accidente había ocurrido ayer.
Why is noticiero used here instead of just noticias?
Noticias refers to the news in general or the actual news stories. Noticiero specifically refers to the news program or newscast on TV or radio. Because the sentence mentions an anchor (presentador), it refers to the broadcast itself.
Why does the second clause use the indicative (había ocurrido) rather than the subjunctive?
Verbs of communication or declaring, like afirmó (stated) and dijo (said), simply report information. Because they don't express doubt, emotion, or try to influence someone else's actions, they trigger the indicative mood in the clause that follows que.
Could I use the simple past (ocurrió) instead of the past perfect (había ocurrido) here?
While Spanish speakers sometimes use the simple past in casual speech for both events, the past perfect (había ocurrido) is much more precise here. It clearly establishes the sequence of past events: the accident had already happened before the anchor talked about it.
Is presentador the standard word for a news anchor in Latin America?
Yes, presentador (or presentador de noticias) is a very common way to say "news anchor" or "TV host." You will also frequently hear conductor, which is used for hosts of all kinds of television or radio programs.