Word
Cuando empezamos a envejecer, nos sale la primera arruga.
Meaning
When we start to age, we get our first wrinkle.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Cuando empezamos a envejecer, nos sale la primera arruga.
a
to
empezar
to begin
salir
to go out, to leave / to appear, to come out (on the body)
nos
to us / ourselves / us (direct object)
Questions & Answers about Cuando empezamos a envejecer, nos sale la primera arruga.
This lesson is about using "hacerse" + adjective for aging. Could I use "hacernos viejos" instead of "envejecer" here?
Yes, absolutely! The verb envejecer is a single word meaning "to age" or "to grow old." You could easily swap it out and say cuando empezamos a hacernos viejos to use the exact structure from this lesson. Both options are very common for talking about the progressive changes of aging.
Why does the sentence use "nos sale" to mean "we get"?
When physical features naturally appear on your body, like wrinkles, grey hairs, pimples, or even new teeth, Spanish uses the verb salir (to come out). The indirect object pronoun nos tells us who is affected. So, literally, the Spanish says "the first wrinkle comes out on us."
Doesn't "cuando" usually require the subjunctive? Why is "empezamos" in the present indicative here?
The word cuando only triggers the subjunctive when you are talking about a specific future event that hasn't happened yet. Because this sentence is stating a general, universal fact about human biology rather than a specific future moment, we use the normal present tense (the indicative).
Why is there an "a" between "empezamos" and "envejecer"?
The verb empezar (to start or begin) always requires the preposition a when it is followed by an infinitive verb (a verb ending in -ar, -er, or -ir). This is a set pattern you have to memorize: empezar a + action.