ELONIO
Log inSign up

Ellos están por desatar el amarre y soltar el gancho.

Ellos están por desatar el amarre y soltar el gancho.
They are about to untie the mooring and release the hook.
From Lesson 461:Imminent actions (estar por)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Ellos están por desatar el amarre y soltar el gancho.

How does estar por differ from ir a in this sentence?
While van a desatar just means 'they are going to untie' (a general future plan), están por desatar adds a strong sense of imminence. It translates to 'they are about to untie', meaning the action is pending and will happen at any second.
Why isn't the word por repeated before soltar?
When two infinitives are linked by y and share the same preposition, you usually drop the preposition before the second verb to avoid repetition. The single por naturally applies to both desatar and soltar.
Could I use dejar instead of soltar here for 'release'?
Not quite. Soltar specifically means to physically release your grip, let loose, or unfasten something that is held (like a rope, a hook, or a dog). Dejar means to 'leave' something somewhere or 'allow' something to happen, so it wouldn't make sense for unhooking physical equipment.
I know atar means 'to tie'. Is desatar related?
Exactly! The prefix des- works just like 'un-' in English. By adding it to atar (to tie), you get desatar (to untie). You also see a related pattern here with el amarre (the mooring), which is the noun form of amarrar, another very common verb in Latin America for 'to tie' or 'to fasten'.

Learn Ellos están por desatar el amarre y soltar el gancho and more in Spanish

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Spanish →