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Nos pusimos a regar las semillas con la manguera.

Nos pusimos a regar las semillas con la manguera.
We started to water the seeds with the hose.
From Lesson 303:Starting an action (ponerse a)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Nos pusimos a regar las semillas con la manguera.

Why use nos pusimos a here instead of empezamos a?
Both mean that you started doing something, but ponerse a is very commonly used for tasks, chores, or physical actions that you actively set out to do. Since watering the seeds (regar las semillas) is a physical chore, nos pusimos a sounds very natural here.
Why is the reflexive pronoun nos required before pusimos?
The expression for 'to start doing something' is ponerse a, which is a reflexive verb. Since the subject is 'we', you must use the matching reflexive pronoun nos. If you just used pusimos, it would come from the non-reflexive verb poner (to put), which doesn't make sense in this context.
Is the a strictly necessary between pusimos and regar?
Yes, it is absolutely required. The formula for this expression is always ponerse + a + an infinitive verb. The a acts as the bridge connecting the action of starting to the specific task you are doing (in this case, regar).
Does regar just mean 'to water' in general, like giving water to a dog?
No, regar is specifically for watering plants, crops, or spraying water on the ground. If you wanted to say you gave water to an animal or a person, you would use dar de beber (to give something to drink) or dar agua (to give water).

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