Question 1

Why is the future tense (estará) used here if the English translation says "He is probably entertaining" right now?

Accepted Answer

This is the "future of probability" or conjecture applied to an ongoing action. In Spanish, using the future progressive (estará + gerund) is a common way to guess or assume what is happening right at this very moment. It translates naturally to "he is probably entertaining" or "he must be entertaining" rather than an event in the actual future.

Question 2

Why do we need the word a before los transeúntes?

Accepted Answer

This is the "personal a." In Spanish, whenever a specific person (or group of people) is the direct object of a verb, you must put an a in front of them. Since los transeúntes (the passersby) are people receiving the action of the verb entreteniendo, the a is required.

Question 3

Does mímica just mean "mimicking" someone?

Accepted Answer

It can mean mimicking or imitation, but in the context of street performers or theater, mímica translates to "mime" or "pantomime." The sentence is describing a mime entertaining people by acting without words.

Question 4

Why does the word transeúntes have an accent mark on the u?

Accepted Answer

The accent mark breaks the diphthong (the natural blending) of the vowels e and u. Normally, eu makes a single syllable. The accent on the ú forces the vowels into two separate syllables (tran-se-ún-tes) and tells you to place the spoken stress firmly on the u.

Estará entreteniendo a los transeúntes con su mímica.

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