Questions & Answers about Ayer decidí vender mi coche.
Why does decidí end with an accented í?
decidí is the preterite (past) tense of the regular -irverbdecidir (to decide). For regular -er and -ir verbs, the I form (yo) always ends in an accented -í in this tense. The written accent mark is crucial because it tells you to put the spoken stress on that very last syllable: de-ci-DÍ.
Why is the second verb vender not in the past tense like decidí?
When you have two verbs back-to-back where one completes the meaning of the other (I decided to sell), only the first verb gets conjugated. Because decidíalready tells us who is acting and when, the second verb vender stays in its basic dictionary form (the infinitive).
What role does the word ayer play in choosing the verb tense?
ayer means yesterday. Time words like ayer, anoche (last night), or el año pasado (last year) are major clues that you need to use the preteritetense. They signal that the action is completely finished at a specific, known point in the past.
Is coche the only word for car in Spanish?
In Spain, coche is the standard and most common word for car. In Latin America, you will frequently hear carro or auto instead, but since you are learning Spanish from Spain, coche is the everyday word you should use.