Breakdown of Regué el árbol después de que él despuntara la yema.
él
he
de
from / of
el árbol
the tree
que
that / than
la
the (feminine)
regar
to water
después
after / afterwards
despuntar
to trim
la yema
the bud
Questions & Answers about Regué el árbol después de que él despuntara la yema.
Why does despuntara use the imperfect subjunctive here? The trimming already happened in the past, so shouldn't it be indicative?
You have hit on exactly what this lesson is about! While traditional grammar rules often use the past indicative after después de que for completed events (like despuntó), it is extremely common in Latin America to use the imperfect subjunctive (despuntara) instead. Even though the action is a stated fact, this subjunctive structure has become the standard way to express after a past event in many regions.
I don't recognize the verb despuntara. What is the infinitive and how does it mean to trim?
The infinitive is despuntar. It is made from the prefix des- (meaning to remove or undo) and punta (meaning point or tip). So literally, it means to remove the tip. In a gardening context like this one, it translates to trimming, pruning, or nipping a plant.
Wait, doesn't yema mean egg yolk?
Yes, but in botany and gardening, yema also means bud or shoot on a plant. You will also see it used for fingertips (las yemas de los dedos). All of these meanings share the visual idea of a small, soft, rounded center or tip.
Why is the verb regué spelled with a u instead of just regé?
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