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Anoche vi un documental por la tele.

Anoche vi un documental por la tele.
Last night I watched a documentary on TV.
From Lesson 206:TV, books and shows (el documental, la ópera)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Anoche vi un documental por la tele.

Why do we use por instead of en to say on TV?
In English you watch things on TV, but in Spanish you use por to talk about the medium or channel something is broadcast through. You will also see this with por la radio (on the radio) or por internet (on the internet).
Why is tele feminine (la tele) if it does not end in -a?
Tele is a shortened word for televisión. Because Spanish words ending in -sión are feminine, the shortened version keeps the feminine gender.
Why use the preterite tense vi here instead of the imperfect veía?
You use the preterite tense vi because watching the documentary was a single, completed action that happened at a specific time in the past (anoche). If you used the imperfect veía, it would mean I used to watch or I was watching a documentary.
Could I say ayer por la noche instead of anoche?
Yes, both mean last night and are perfectly understood. However, anoche is faster and incredibly common in everyday speech. Just remember that for the afternoon or morning, you still need the longer form like ayer por la tarde or ayer por la mañana.

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