Breakdown of El sábado fuimos al zoo con los niños.
el niño
the boy / the child
con
with / just by (+ -ing)
ir
to go
al
to the (m)
Questions & Answers about El sábado fuimos al zoo con los niños.
Why does the sentence use El sábado instead of a word for "on"?
In Spanish, you do not use a preposition like "on" for days of the week. Instead, you just use the definite article el for a singular day or los for a recurring day to mean "on that day".
Which verb is fuimos and why does it look so irregular?
Why do we use al before zoo instead of just el?
The verb ir (to go) is followed by the preposition a (to) when you are going to a destination. Because zoo is a masculine word, the preposition a and the definite article el must combine to form the mandatory contraction al.
Does los niños specifically mean "the boys" or just "the children"?
It usually means "the children" in general. In Spanish, the masculine plural form is used for a mixed group of boys and girls, or for children as a general concept. If the group was made up entirely of girls, you would say las niñas.