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Recién apilamos el tablón y tenemos que secarlo.

Recién apilamos el tablón y tenemos que secarlo.
We just stacked the plank, and we have to dry it.
From Lesson 416:Just happened (recién)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Recién apilamos el tablón y tenemos que secarlo.

How does recién work here, and why aren't we using acabamos de?
In Latin America, recién is frequently used directly before a conjugated verb to mean that you just did something. While acabamos de apilar is also perfectly correct, using recién apilamos is the everyday way to express this immediate past in many Latin American countries. In Spain, recién is mostly restricted to preceding past participles.
Is apilamos in the present or preterite tense here?
It is the preterite (past tense) here, meaning we stacked. For regular -ar and -ir verbs, the nosotros form is identical in both the present and the preterite. The word recién provides the context: because it means the action just finished, we understand it as a completed past action.
Is tablón just another word for board?
Tablón is actually the augmentative form of tabla (board). By dropping the final vowel and adding the -ón suffix, it indicates a large, thick, or heavy board, which is why it translates specifically to plank.
Could I put the lo from secarlo earlier in the sentence?
Yes! You can say y lo tenemos que secar. When you have a conjugated verb phrase followed by an infinitive (like tenemos que + secar), object pronouns can either attach to the end of the infinitive or go before the conjugated verb. Both are perfectly natural and mean the exact same thing.

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