Breakdown of Limpiaba el rascacielos cuando ocurrió el incidente.
limpiar
to clean
cuando
when (statement)
ocurrir
to happen
el rascacielos
skyscraper
el incidente
incident
Questions & Answers about Limpiaba el rascacielos cuando ocurrió el incidente.
Why is limpiaba in the imperfect tense while ocurrió is in the preterite?
This sentence is a classic example of how the two past tenses interact. Limpiaba (I was cleaning) is in the imperfect because it sets the scene, describing an ongoing, background action. Ocurrió (occurred) is in the preterite because it is a sudden, completed event that "interrupts" or happens right in the middle of that background scene.
Rascacielos ends in an "s". Is it a plural word?
Here it is singular, which we can tell from the singular article el. Rascacielos (skyscraper) is a compound noun made by combining a verb (rascar, to scrape) and a plural noun (cielos, skies). These types of compound nouns always end in "s" and look exactly the same whether they are singular (el rascacielos) or plural (los rascacielos).
Could limpiaba also mean "he was cleaning" or "she was cleaning"?
Yes! The imperfect conjugations for yo, él, ella, and usted are all exactly the same: limpiaba. Without extra context, this isolated sentence could easily mean "He was cleaning the skyscraper." If there is any chance of confusion in a real conversation, you would clarify by adding the pronoun, like Yo limpiaba el rascacielos.
Why does the verb come before the subject at the end of the sentence (ocurrió el incidente)? Can I say cuando el incidente ocurrió?
You can definitely say cuando el incidente ocurrió, but putting the verb first (ocurrió el incidente) sounds incredibly natural in Spanish. When a verb describes something happening, arriving, or appearing on the scene, Spanish speakers often place it before the subject to keep the dramatic focus on the action itself.
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