Questions & Answers about Ella viaja al oeste.
How does this sentence relate to the question words in this lesson?
Why does the Spanish sentence use al oeste when in English we just say "west"?
In Spanish, compass directions like oeste (west) act as nouns that usually need the word "the" (el) in front of them. Also, because she is moving toward a destination, you need the preposition a (to). So, Spanish literally says "She travels to the west."
Wait, where does the word al come from?
al is a mandatory contraction. Whenever the preposition a (to) is followed directly by the masculine singular article el (the), they join together to become al. Because oeste is masculine, a el oeste must shrink down to al oeste.
Could Ella viaja al oeste also mean "She is traveling west" right now?
Yes! The Spanish simple present tense, like viaja, can mean both "she travels" as a general habit and "she is traveling" right at this very moment.
Learn Ella viaja al oeste 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