Breakdown of La deportista está a punto de ganar la medalla.
ganar
to win
estar a punto de
to be about to
la medalla
the medal
el deportista
the sportsperson
Questions & Answers about La deportista está a punto de ganar la medalla.
Since it is La deportista, would a male athlete be referred to as 'El deportisto'?
How does a punto de work in this sentence?
The phrase estar a punto de translates to being about to do something. It is a very common fixed expression that you will always use with the verb estar and follow with an unconjugated infinitive verb, which in this case is ganar.
Why is ganar in the infinitive instead of being conjugated to match the sportswoman?
In Spanish, any verb that comes directly after a preposition like de must remain in its infinitive form. Since the set phrase ends with de, the action verb ganar stays exactly as it is.
Could we use the verb ser here and say es a punto de?
No, you must always use estar for this expression. It helps to remember that being about to do something is a temporary moment in time, which aligns well with the general rules for when to use estar instead of ser.
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