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Recién vendieron esos cachivaches.

Recién vendieron esos cachivaches.
They just sold those pieces of junk.
From Lesson 414:Exclamations of quantity or degree (¡lo que...!, ¡la de...!)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Recién vendieron esos cachivaches.

Why is recién followed by a conjugated verb (vendieron) here instead of a past participle?
In Latin America, recién is frequently used as an independent adverb meaning "just" or "just now." While standard textbook Spanish often teaches it only before a past participle (like recién casados for "newlyweds"), using it right before a conjugated verb like recién vendieron (they just sold) is perfectly natural and common in everyday Latin American speech.
Why use the preterite (vendieron) for something that just happened, rather than the present perfect (han vendido)?
In many parts of Latin America, the preterite is the default tense for any completed past action, even one that happened just seconds ago. While han vendido is grammatically fine, pairing recién with the preterite is the standard way to say you "just did" something in this region.
Is cachivaches a common word, or is it very slangy?
Cachivaches is colloquial but very common and widely understood across the Spanish-speaking world. It translates to "junk," "knick-knacks," or useless odds and ends that take up space. It's the perfect word to use when talking about clearing out a garage or getting rid of clutter.
If I wanted to exclaim about the huge amount of junk they sold using this lesson's grammar, how would I phrase it?
You would say, ¡La de cachivaches que vendieron! This uses the structure la de + noun (cachivaches) + que + verb (vendieron). It is a native-sounding, emphatic way to say "You wouldn't believe the amount of junk they sold!"

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