Question 1

How is estamos por sobrevolar different from estamos a punto de sobrevolar?

Accepted Answer

Both are used to express that an action is about to happen very soon. Estamos a punto de translates perfectly to 'we are on the point of' or 'we are just about to,' making it feel a bit more immediate. Estamos por simply means 'we are about to.' In everyday Latin American Spanish, they are practically interchangeable for imminent events like this one.

Question 2

Can I just say volar sobre el valle instead of using the compound verb sobrevolar?

Accepted Answer

Yes, volar sobre and sobrevolar mean the exact same thing here. Using the compound verb sobrevolar sounds a bit more precise and is very common in aviation contexts (like a pilot making an announcement), but volar sobre is perfectly natural too.

Question 3

Since volar has an o-to-ue stem change, does sobrevolar also change?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Compound verbs keep the same irregularities as their root verbs. If you needed to conjugate it in the present tense, it would be sobrevuelo, sobrevuelas, and so on. However, because it follows the preposition por, it must stay in the infinitive here, so you don't need to apply the stem change in this specific sentence.

Question 4

I've seen estar por used to mean 'being in favor of' something. How do I know which meaning applies here?

Accepted Answer

Context is your best clue. When estar por is followed by a noun or a conceptual idea, like estoy por la paz, it means 'to be in favor of.' When followed by an action verb like sobrevolar, it almost always acts as a periphrasis (a multi-word verb structure) meaning the action is pending or imminent.

Estamos por sobrevolar el valle.

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