Breakdown of No habléis ahora, están a punto de correr en la pista.
no
no / not
en
in / on / by (means of transport) / about (after pensar)
hablar
to speak
ahora
now
Questions & Answers about No habléis ahora, están a punto de correr en la pista.
How does the phrase estar a punto de work here to mean "about to"?
Why is the negative command no habléis instead of no habláis or no hablad?
In Spanish, negative commands always use the present subjunctive form of the verb. Because the speaker is addressing a group informally in Spain, they use the vosotros subjunctive form of hablar, which is habléis. If it were a positive command (telling them TO speak), it would be the regular imperative form hablad.
Why do we use en instead of sobre for "on the track"?
While sobre literally means "on top of", en is the standard preposition used for being at a location or within a space. This includes being "on" a court, field, or track (pista). Using sobre here would sound unnatural.
Does pista always mean "track" in Spanish?
Not always! While it translates to "track" or "court" in sports contexts, pista is a very versatile word. It can also mean a "clue" in a mystery or a "dance floor" (pista de baile).