Breakdown of Como el teleférico que usamos no está operativo, caminamos.
no
no, not
estar
to be (location/state)
usar
to use / to wear
caminar
to walk
que
that / than
como
since / because (at the beginning of a sentence)
el teleférico
cable car
operativo
operational
Questions & Answers about Como el teleférico que usamos no está operativo, caminamos.
Why does this sentence use como instead of porque to mean 'since' or 'because'?
Can I switch the order and say Caminamos como el teleférico que usamos no está operativo?
No, this is a strict rule in Spanish. When como expresses a cause (meaning 'since' or 'because'), it must be placed at the very beginning of the sentence. If you want to put the result first and the cause second, you have to switch to porque or ya que, as in: Caminamos porque el teleférico que usamos no está operativo.
Why is it está operativo rather than es operativo?
Why is usamos in the indicative mood instead of the subjunctive?
The indicative usamos is used because el teleférico que usamos refers to a specific, known cable car that the speakers actually ride in reality. You only use the subjunctive in these descriptive clauses when referring to something unknown, non-specific, or hypothetical.
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