Learn Spanish (Latin America): Como el andamio se movía, por poco y suelto la esponja. - Since the scaffold was moving, I almost dropped the sponge.

Como el andamio se movía, por poco y suelto la esponja.

Since the scaffold was moving, I almost dropped the sponge.

Breakdown of Como el andamio se movía, por poco y suelto la esponja.

and

por

for / by / through / in/during (part of the day)

poco

little / a little

como

since / because (at the beginning of a sentence)

Questions & Answers about Como el andamio se movía, por poco y suelto la esponja.

Why is suelto in the present tense when the English translation says "I almost dropped" in the past?

In Spanish, it is very common to use the present tense after por poco or por poco y to talk about something that almost happened in the past but did not. Even though the action was averted in the past, using the present indicative like suelto makes the near miss feel more vivid and immediate.

What is the purpose of the y in por poco y suelto?

The y here does not translate to "and"—it acts as an intensifier that makes the expression sound more colloquial and natural in spoken language. You can say either por poco suelto or por poco y suelto. Both mean exactly the same thing, but adding the y is extremely common in everyday Latin American Spanish.

Why does the sentence start with Como instead of Porque to say "Since" or "Because"?

When you want to start a sentence by giving the reason or cause first, you must use Como. In Spanish, you generally cannot start a sentence with Porque to state a reason. If you prefer to use porque, you have to put the result first: Por poco y suelto la esponja porque el andamio se movía.

Why use suelto (from soltar) for "dropped" instead of dejo caer?