Question 1

Why is ya at the beginning, rather than between the two verbs like in English?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, compound verbs like habíamos colocado (we had placed) cannot be split. While in English we say 'had already placed', in Spanish, time markers like ya usually go before the conjugated auxiliary verb haber (or sometimes at the very end of the sentence), giving us Ya habíamos colocado.

Question 2

Why use habíamos colocado instead of the simple past colocamos?

Accepted Answer

Habíamos colocado is the past perfect tense (Pluscuamperfecto). We use it to talk about a past action that happened before another past action. Combined with ya (already), it emphasizes that by some specific point in the past, the job of hanging the paintings was already completely finished.

Question 3

Could I use puesto instead of colocado here?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you could absolutely say Ya habíamos puesto... because poner (to put) is very versatile. However, colocar is a great word here because it implies placing or arranging something carefully in its proper spot, which is exactly what you do when hanging art.

Question 4

I learned that cuadro means 'square'. Why is it translated as 'paintings' here?

Accepted Answer

While cuadro does mean 'square' (like the shape), it is also the most common word in Spain for a framed picture, painting, or print that you hang on a wall. If it goes in a frame on your wall, it is a cuadro.

Ya habíamos colocado los cuadros en la sala.

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