Question 1

Why do both "La alarma" and "yo" use the exact same word, estaba?

Accepted Answer

In the imperfect tense (used here to talk about ongoing past actions), the "I" form and the "he/she/it" form are exactly the same. So, estaba works perfectly for the alarm (it) and for yo (I).

Question 2

How are the words sonando and temblando formed?

Accepted Answer

These are the Spanish equivalent of "-ing" words, often called gerunds. To make them, you take the infinitive verbs sonar (to ring) and temblar (to tremble), drop the -ar ending, and add -ando. Combined with estaba, they create the past continuous tense to show actions that were happening at that moment.

Question 3

Is the word yo strictly necessary before the second estaba?

Accepted Answer

It is very helpful here. Because estaba can mean "I was" or "it was", adding yo clarifies that you were the one trembling, not the alarm again. It also creates a natural contrast between what the alarm was doing and how you were reacting.

Question 4

Why does the sentence use de miedo instead of con miedo for "with fear"?

Accepted Answer

When expressing that a physical reaction is caused by a strong emotion (like trembling, crying, or screaming), Spanish typically uses the preposition de (of/from) instead of con (with). You are expressing that you were trembling from fear.

La alarma estaba sonando y yo estaba temblando de miedo.

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