Breakdown of Siguieron esperando con afán hasta que llegara el vendedor.
con
with
llegar
to arrive
esperar
to wait / to hope / to expect
que
that / than
el vendedor
salesperson
seguir
to continue
hasta
until / as far as
el afán
eagerness
Questions & Answers about Siguieron esperando con afán hasta que llegara el vendedor.
Why is llegara in the imperfect subjunctive here if the seller actually did arrive in the past?
Even though the seller eventually arrived, at the time they were waiting, the arrival hadn't happened yet. This is exactly what your current lesson covers: Spanish uses the imperfect subjunctive (like llegara) after hasta que for past actions that were pending or anticipated from the perspective of the main verb in the past.
Why use siguieron esperando instead of just esperaron?
I know afán means effort or eagerness. Does con afán imply they were impatient?
Yes, con afán translates to with eagerness or anxiously. It implies a strong desire for something to happen, showing that they weren't just passively passing the time, but were intensely hoping the seller would show up soon.
Why is the subject el vendedor at the very end of the sentence instead of before the verb?
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