Learn Spanish (Latin America): Detectar el problema desde este compartimento es imposible sin el periscopio. - Detecting the problem from this compartment is impossible without the periscope.

Detectar el problema desde este compartimento es imposible sin el periscopio.

Detecting the problem from this compartment is impossible without the periscope.

Breakdown of Detectar el problema desde este compartimento es imposible sin el periscopio.

since / from (a starting point)

Questions & Answers about Detectar el problema desde este compartimento es imposible sin el periscopio.

Why do we use the infinitive Detectar instead of Detectando for the English word "Detecting"?

In English, we often use "-ing" words as the subject of a sentence. In Spanish, however, the infinitive (Detectar) is always used when a verb acts as the subject noun. Using the gerund (Detectando) as a subject is grammatically incorrect in Spanish.

Since this lesson is about the neuter pronoun ello, why couldn't we say sin ello to mean "without it" if we wanted to replace sin el periscopio?

El periscopio is a specific masculine noun, so to say "without it," you must use the masculine pronoun él (sin él). The neuter pronoun ello is exclusively used to refer back to abstract concepts, unnamed situations, or entire previous statements. If you were referring to an abstract idea like "getting outside help," then you would use sin ello.

Why use desde instead of de to say "from this compartment"?

While both can translate to "from," desde specifically highlights a precise vantage point, origin, or perspective in space. Because the sentence emphasizes the physical location from which you are trying to look or operate, desde is much more precise and natural than de.

Can the word order of this sentence be changed to start with Es imposible?