Question 1

Why is pensamos translated as "we thought" when it is the present tense form?

Accepted Answer

For nosotros (we), the present and preterite (simple past) forms of pensar are exactly the same. We know it means "we thought" here from the context. The use of the conditional costaría (would cost) sets up a "future from the past" scenario.

Question 2

Why does this sentence use the conditional costaría instead of a past tense?

Accepted Answer

The conditional is used here to express the "future in the past." At a point in the past (pensamos), someone made a prediction about an event that was in the future from that perspective (that it would cost less).

Question 3

Doesn't pensar que trigger the subjunctive? Why isn't the second verb in the subjunctive?

Accepted Answer

Affirmative statements with verbs of belief like pensar que or creer que declare what the speaker considers to be a reality, so they do not take the subjunctive. They only trigger the subjunctive when they are negative (like no pensamos que...), which introduces doubt.

Question 4

The present tense of costar is cuesta. Why is there no "ue" stem change in costaría?

Accepted Answer

The conditional tense is formed by attaching the endings directly to the full infinitive (costar + ía), rather than using a conjugated stem. Therefore, present tense stem changes (like the o to ue in costar) do not apply to the conditional or the future tense.

Question 5

Is there a trick to remembering that drenaje is masculine?

Accepted Answer

Yes! In Spanish, nouns ending in the suffix -aje are overwhelmingly masculine. This is a very reliable pattern you can apply to other words, such as el viaje (the trip), el mensaje (the message), and el equipaje (the luggage).

Pensamos que el drenaje urbano costaría menos.

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