Estoy trabajando, pero podemos hablar por videollamada.
I am working, but we can talk via video call.
Breakdown of Estoy trabajando, pero podemos hablar por videollamada.
pero
but
trabajar
to work
hablar
to speak
estar
to be (location/state)
poder
to be able to
por
for / by / through / in (during a part of the day)
la videollamada
the video call
Questions & Answers about Estoy trabajando, pero podemos hablar por videollamada.
Why do we use por here instead of en to say "via" or "on" a video call?
In Spanish, the preposition por is used to express the means or method by which something is done, including communication. While in English you might say "on a video call" or "by phone", in Spanish you use por videollamada, por teléfono, or por correo electrónico.
Could I just say Trabajo instead of Estoy trabajando?
You could, but it changes the focus. Estoy trabajando (the present continuous tense) emphasizes that you are in the exact middle of the action right now. Trabajo is the simple present; while it can sometimes describe actions happening right now, using estar plus the -ando ending makes it crystal clear that you are currently busy at this exact moment.
Why is there no article like una before videollamada?
Is videollamada always written as one connected word?
Yes! In Spanish, prefixes and combining forms like video- are attached directly to the word they modify without a hyphen or a space. Since llamada (call) is a feminine noun, the combined word videollamada remains feminine.
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