Log inSign up

Desenterramos una cadena de oro.

Desenterramos una cadena de oro.
We unearthed a gold chain.
From Lesson 395:Emphatic affirmation (sí que)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Desenterramos una cadena de oro.

How would we change this sentence to emphasize that we did unearth a gold chain, using the grammar from this lesson?
You would place sí que immediately before the conjugated verb: Sí que desenterramos una cadena de oro. This adds a strong emphatic affirmation, similar to saying "We really did unearth a gold chain!"—perfect for countering someone's expectation that you were just digging in the dirt for nothing.
Is "desenterramos" in the present or past tense here?
It can actually be both! For regular -ar verbs (and -ir verbs), the nosotros form is exactly the same in the present tense and the preterite (simple past) tense. You have to rely on context to know if it means "we unearth" or "we unearthed".
Since this comes from the root "tierra" (earth), shouldn't there be an "i" in "desenterramos"?
The verb desenterrar does have an e to ie stem change in the present tense (for example, yo desentierro, tú desentierras). However, in the present tense, the nosotros and vosotros forms never undergo this stem change, which is why it remains desenterramos. In the preterite tense, -ar verbs never stem-change at all.
I can see the root words in "desenterramos". How exactly is this verb constructed?
It's a great word to break down! You start with the noun tierra (earth/dirt). You make it a verb by wrapping it in en- and -ar, creating enterrar (to bury / put in the earth). Finally, you add the prefix des- (which reverses an action) to get desenterrar (to unearth / dig up).
Why use "de oro" instead of an adjective like "dorada"?
In Spanish, the material something is made of is almost always expressed using de + [noun] (e.g., de oro, de madera, de plástico). If you said una cadena dorada, it would mean a "golden chain"—meaning it is gold in color or gold-plated, but not necessarily made of solid gold.

Learn Desenterramos una cadena de oro and more in Spanish

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Spanish →