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Mandábamos los paquetes por furgoneta, pero ahora están en tránsito.

Mandábamos los paquetes por furgoneta, pero ahora están en tránsito.
We used to send the packages by van, but now they are in transit.
From Lesson 289:Means of transport (por)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Mandábamos los paquetes por furgoneta, pero ahora están en tránsito.

I learned to use en for transport, like en tren. Why does this sentence use por furgoneta?
When we talk about traveling physically inside a vehicle, we usually use en (like viajamos en tren). However, when we talk about sending goods, messages, or information via a certain method, we use por. Because we are sending packages here, por furgoneta means sent by way of a van.
Why is mandábamos in the imperfect tense rather than the preterite?
The imperfect tense is used here to show a repeated or habitual action in the past. The English translation "used to send" is a great clue for this. If it had been a single, completed event (like "we sent the packages yesterday"), you would use the preterite form mandamos.
Why do we use están for "they are in transit" instead of son?
We use estar instead of ser because being "in transit" is both a location and a temporary state. The packages are currently on the move, which is a condition that will end once they arrive at their destination.
If I wanted to say we sent them by mail, could I use por as well?
Yes! Just like por furgoneta (by van) or por avión (by plane), you can say por correo to mean "by mail". The preposition por is the standard way to express the medium or route through which something is sent.

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