Question 1

Why do we use para before hacer here?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, para followed by an infinitive verb (like hacer) is used to express purpose or a goal. It translates directly to 'in order to'. So, para hacer means 'in order to make' or simply 'to make'.

Question 2

Why is there a que between tenemos and cavar?

Accepted Answer

To express an obligation like 'to have to', Spanish uses the special phrase tener que followed by an infinitive verb. Tenemos by itself just means 'we have' (like owning something), so you need the que to change the meaning to 'we have to' dig (cavar).

Question 3

Why does the word túnel have an accent mark over the 'u'?

Accepted Answer

Spanish words that end in a consonant other than 'n' or 's' naturally put the spoken stress on the final syllable. Since túnel is pronounced with the stress on the first syllable, it needs a written accent to break the normal pronunciation rule and tell you to emphasize that first part.

Question 4

Since hacer means both 'to do' and 'to make', how do I know which one it is here?

Accepted Answer

You rely on the context! Because a tunnel is something you physically construct or create, 'to make' is the natural English translation. Spanish is very handy because it uses hacer for both creating things (making) and performing actions (doing).

Tenemos que cavar para hacer el túnel.

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