Breakdown of Gastamos más gas en el invierno del que estimamos.
en
in / on / at
del
from the / of the
que
that / than
el invierno
winter
más
more
gastar
to spend
el gas
gas
estimar
to estimate
Questions & Answers about Gastamos más gas en el invierno del que estimamos.
Why do we use del que here instead of just que or de lo que?
When comparing a specific noun across two clauses (meaning there is a conjugated verb in the second part), you use de plus the definite article matching the noun, followed by que. We are comparing the amount of gas (masculine singular), so we use de + el que, which contracts to del que. If we were comparing an adjective or adverb instead of a noun, we would use the neutral de lo que.
Could I put del que estimamos right after más gas?
Why does the sentence use gastamos for "we used"? Doesn't that mean "we spent"?
While gastar is widely known as "to spend" when talking about money, it is also the standard verb for consuming or using up a physical resource. You will hear gastar used all the time for things like water, electricity, fuel, and gas.
How do I know if gastamos and estimamos are in the present or past tense here?
For regular -ar verbs, the nosotros conjugation is exactly the same in both the present tense and the preterite (simple past) tense. You have to rely on context. Because this sentence reflects on the amount of gas used during a specific winter and compares it to a prior estimation, the preterite past tense makes the most logical sense.
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