Breakdown of La paciente murió de un infarto nada más llegar al hospital.
de
of
un
a, an, some
llegar
to arrive
el hospital
the hospital
a
to
el paciente
the patient
morir
to die
el infarto
the heart attack
nada más
as soon as / right after
Questions & Answers about La paciente murió de un infarto nada más llegar al hospital.
Why does this sentence use nada más llegar instead of a conjugated verb?
The structure nada más followed by an infinitive is a very common and natural way in Spain to express temporal immediacy. It translates to 'as soon as' or 'right after.' Because it uses the infinitive, it is highly efficient: you don't have to conjugate the verb or worry about whether to use the subjunctive or indicative mood.
Could I use a conjugated phrase like 'as soon as she arrived' instead of the infinitive?
Why do we use the preposition de in murió de un infarto?
In Spanish, when you state the specific cause of someone's death, you use the preposition de. You will often see this pattern with illnesses or conditions, such as morir de cáncer (to die of cancer) or morir de viejo (to die of old age). English speakers sometimes want to use por (because of), but de is the correct choice here.
The sentence uses la paciente. Does the word paciente change its ending for masculine subjects?
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