Breakdown of Los turistas tiritaban por un viento de espanto.
de
from / of
un
a, an (masculine)
los
the (masculine plural)
el viento
wind
el turista
tourist
por
for / by / through / in/during (part of the day)
el espanto
terror (fright, horror)
tiritar
to shiver
Questions & Answers about Los turistas tiritaban por un viento de espanto.
Why is un viento de espanto translated as 'a terrifying wind' instead of 'a wind of terror'?
This sentence uses the structure un/una + noun + de + noun to express extreme intensity. Here, un viento (a wind) is intensified by de espanto (of fright/terror). Instead of just describing the wind literally, this phrase acts as a dramatic, qualitative intensifier to say the wind was shockingly fierce or awful.
Could I use temblaban instead of tiritaban to mean 'were shivering'?
You could, but tiritaban is much more precise for this context. Tiritar specifically means to shiver from the cold or a fever. Temblar is a broader word for shaking or trembling, which could be caused by fear, cold, or nervousness.
Why is por used here to mean 'because of'?
Por is the go-to preposition for expressing the cause or motive behind an action. The tourists are shivering due to the wind. While you could also use the phrase a causa de (because of), por is the most natural and common way to express this in everyday speech.
Why is tiritaban in the imperfect tense rather than the preterite?
The imperfect tense is used to describe ongoing, continuous actions in the past without a defined beginning or end. It sets the scene. If we used the preterite (tiritaron), it would sound like a single, completed instance of shivering, which doesn't logically fit a continuous reaction to the weather.
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