Breakdown of Como hiela afuera, el teleférico no está operativo.
no
no, not
estar
to be (location/state)
afuera
outside
como
since / because (at the beginning of a sentence)
el teleférico
cable car
operativo
operational
helar
to freeze (weather)
Questions & Answers about Como hiela afuera, el teleférico no está operativo.
Why does this sentence use como to mean "since" or "because"?
When como is used to introduce a cause or reason, it comes with a strict rule: it must be placed at the very beginning of the sentence. If you want to state the result first and the reason second, you must use porque instead, as in El teleférico no está operativo porque hiela afuera. You cannot use causal como in the middle of a sentence.
What is the infinitive of hiela, and is it irregular?
The infinitive is helar (to freeze), and it has an e-to-ie stem change in the present tense. Because it describes the weather here, it acts as an impersonal verb, meaning it is only conjugated in the third-person singular, just like llueve (it rains) or nieva (it snows).
Why do we use está operativo instead of es operativo?
Can I use fuera instead of afuera in this sentence?
Yes, you can, but afuera is heavily preferred in Latin America. In Latin American Spanish, afuera is commonly used for both static location (being outside) and movement (going outside). In Spain, you are more likely to hear fuera for a static location like this.
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