Breakdown of Como el descenso es difícil, prefiero usar el trineo.
ser
to be
usar
to use / to wear
difícil
difficult
preferir
to prefer
como
since / because (at the beginning of a sentence)
el descenso
descent
el trineo
sled
Questions & Answers about Como el descenso es difícil, prefiero usar el trineo.
Why do we use como instead of porque to mean "since" or "because" in this sentence?
When stating a cause at the very beginning of a sentence, Spanish requires como. You generally cannot use porque to start a sentence unless you are directly answering a "why" question. If you wanted to put the cause in the second half of the sentence, you would switch to porque: Prefiero usar el trineo porque el descenso es difícil. Causal como is strictly placed at the beginning of the sentence.
Could I use ya que at the beginning of this sentence instead of como?
Why doesn't prefiero need a preposition before usar?
The verb preferir connects directly to an infinitive verb without needing a preposition like a, de, or que in between. You simply use the conjugated form (prefiero) immediately followed by the infinitive action (usar).
Would a native speaker use la bajada instead of el descenso here?
They easily could! El descenso means "the descent" and is very normal, especially in contexts like hiking, skiing, or climbing. However, la bajada (the way down) is slightly more colloquial and is an excellent alternative you will hear frequently in everyday Latin American Spanish.
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