Question 1

Does por lo visto imply that the speaker actually saw the ghosts?

Accepted Answer

No, exactly the opposite! Por lo visto means "apparently" or "by the looks of it." It is an evidential adverb used to show that you are deducing this or heard it from someone else, rather than knowing it firsthand. You could swap it perfectly with al parecer here.

Question 2

What is the root of the word avistamientos?

Accepted Answer

It comes from the verb avistar (to catch sight of), which shares a root with la vista (sight or view). The suffix -miento turns the action into a noun, giving us "sightings."

Question 3

Why is it de fantasmas instead of de los fantasmas?

Accepted Answer

When a noun follows de to categorize the first noun (creating a descriptive concept like "ghost sightings"), we drop the article. Adding los would change the meaning to sightings of specific, previously mentioned ghosts.

Question 4

Wait, is fantasma masculine or feminine?

Accepted Answer

It is masculine (el fantasma, los fantasmas). Like many Spanish words ending in -ma with Greek origins (such as el problema or el tema), it breaks the usual rule of words ending in -a being feminine.

Question 5

Why use son instead of están before habituales?

Accepted Answer

We use ser because being "common" or "habitual" is considered a defining characteristic of these events. Even though you might associate estar with locations like allí, describing a fact or event as a normal occurrence always requires ser.

Por lo visto, los avistamientos de fantasmas son habituales allí.

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