Question 1

Is porque the same word used to ask "why"?

Accepted Answer

They sound exactly the same when spoken, but they are written differently! Porque (one word, no accent) means "because" and is used to give a reason, like explaining why we aren't walking here. When you want to ask the question "Why?", you must use por qué (two words, with an accent over the e).

Question 2

Why does the translation say "is snowing" when nieva is in the simple present tense?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, the simple present tense is very flexible. It can mean a general habit ("it snows") or an action happening right now ("it is snowing"). Because the sentence mentions hoy (today), "it is snowing" is the most natural English translation. The same goes for no caminamos, which translates perfectly here as "we are not walking" instead of "we don't walk."

Question 3

Where is the word for "it" in "it is snowing"?

Accepted Answer

Spanish doesn't use a pronoun for "it" with weather verbs. Just like caminamos already has "we" built into its ending, the single word nieva is a complete thought that means "it snows" or "it is snowing." You never need to add a subject word before it.

Question 4

Could I put nosotros in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you could say Nosotros no caminamos hoy porque nieva. However, because the -amos ending on caminamos already tells us the subject is "we," Spanish speakers usually drop the nosotros. You only really need to include it if you want to emphasize that we aren't walking, even if someone else might be.

No caminamos hoy porque nieva.

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