Breakdown of ¿Estaremos viendo un ovni ahora?
un
a, an, some
estar
to be (location/state)
ahora
now
ver
to see; to watch (TV, a film)
el ovni
the UFO
Questions & Answers about ¿Estaremos viendo un ovni ahora?
Why is the future tense (estaremos) used if the sentence says ahora (now)?
This is the future of probability (epistemic future). In Spanish, you can use the future tense to guess or wonder about something happening right now. Even though it uses the future tense estaremos, the word ahora reminds us we are wondering about the present: 'I wonder if we are...' or 'Could we be...?'
The English translation says 'I wonder if', but there is no word for 'wonder' or 'if' in the Spanish sentence. Why?
That is the magic of using the future tense for probability! In English, we usually express this by adding phrases like 'I wonder if...' or 'Do you think...'. In Spanish, simply asking a question in the future tense (¿Estaremos...?) does exactly the same job without needing those extra words.
Why use estaremos viendo instead of just veremos?
Because the action is currently in progress. Just like in English, Spanish uses the continuous form (estar + gerund) for actions unfolding right at this moment. Combining the probability future of estar with the gerund viendo translates to 'I wonder if we are seeing' rather than 'I wonder if we see'.
What does ovni stand for?
Ovni is the Spanish equivalent of UFO. It stands for Objeto Volador No Identificado (Unidentified Flying Object). Notice how the noun (Objeto) comes before the adjectives, which reverses the English acronym order! Since it is treated as a regular noun, it is written in lowercase letters.
Learn ¿Estaremos viendo un ovni ahora and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free