Breakdown of Esta semana hemos trabajado la empatía, o mejor dicho, el respeto.
o
or
trabajar
to work
la semana
the week
este
this (m.sg., also esta, estos, estas, esto)
haber
to have (auxiliary)
el respeto
the respect
mejor dicho
better said
la empatía
the empathy
Questions & Answers about Esta semana hemos trabajado la empatía, o mejor dicho, el respeto.
Why is mejor dicho used here instead of just saying o?
Why does the sentence say hemos trabajado la empatía instead of hemos trabajado en la empatía?
When talking about developing a skill, a psychological concept, or a personal quality (like empathy or respect), the verb trabajar is used directly as a transitive verb without a preposition. English needs the preposition "on" to "work on" empathy, but Spanish directly "works the empathy".
Why are the articles la and el included before empatía and respeto?
Abstract concepts like empathy and respect require definite articles (el, la, los, las) in Spanish when talked about generally. While English drops the article in this context, Spanish grammar requires it.
Why use hemos trabajado (present perfect) rather than the simple past trabajamos?
In the Spanish of Spain, the present perfect is strictly used when the time period mentioned isn't over yet. The time marker esta semana (this week) indicates that the current week is still ongoing, making hemos trabajado the required tense.
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