Breakdown of El náufrago empezó a escalar la palmera ayer.
a
to
empezar
to start / to begin
ayer
yesterday
escalar
to climb (mountains, rocks)
el náufrago
the castaway
la palmera
the palm tree
Questions & Answers about El náufrago empezó a escalar la palmera ayer.
Why doesn't this sentence use the hacía... que + imperfect structure we are currently learning?
The hacía... que structure is used to express how long an action had been going on in the past (e.g., "He had been climbing for two hours"). In this sentence, the action of starting (empezó) is a single, completed event that happened ayer (yesterday). Because it is a discrete event rather than an ongoing background action, it uses the standard preterite tense.
Why is there an a between empezó and escalar?
In Spanish, verbs that indicate the beginning of an action require the preposition a before an infinitive verb. It is a set formula you have to memorize: empezar a + [infinitive].
Could I use comenzó instead of empezó in this sentence?
Yes, comenzó is perfectly interchangeable with empezó here. Both mean "started" or "began," and both require the preposition a before the infinitive. Comenzar can sound slightly more formal in some regions, but both are extremely common.
I know palma means palm. What is the difference between palma and palmera?
While both can be used for the tree depending on the region, palmera is the most precise word for the palm tree itself. Palma often refers to the palm leaf (or the palm of a hand). Spanish frequently uses specific endings to differentiate a tree from its product or parts (for example, naranja is orange, but naranjo is orange tree).
Learn El náufrago empezó a escalar la palmera ayer 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