Learn Spanish (Spain): Pinchamos en la carretera ayer por la tarde. - We got a flat tire on the road yesterday afternoon.

Pinchamos en la carretera ayer por la tarde.

We got a flat tire on the road yesterday afternoon.

Breakdown of Pinchamos en la carretera ayer por la tarde.

in / on / by (means of transport) / about (after pensar)

por

for / by / through / in (during a part of the day)

la tarde

the afternoon / the evening

la carretera

the road

Questions & Answers about Pinchamos en la carretera ayer por la tarde.

Why does pinchamos mean 'we got a flat tire' here?

The verb pinchar literally means 'to prick' or 'to puncture'. In the context of driving, it is the standard, everyday way in Spain to say 'to get a flat tire'. You do not even need to mention the tire (la rueda or el neumático); the verb alone does the job.

Why isn't pinchamos reflexive (nos pinchamos) if it happened to us?

If you said nos pinchamos, it would mean 'we pricked ourselves' (like with a needle). Used intransitively without a reflexive pronoun, pinchar simply means the vehicle you were in suffered a puncture.

Could I use a noun instead to say 'we got a flat tire'?

Yes, you can use the noun form and say tuvimos un pinchazo (we had a puncture). However, using the verb pinchar just like in this sentence is extremely natural and common in Spain.

Why is it ayer por la tarde and not ayer de la tarde?

When you refer to a part of the day as a general block of time, you use por (like por la tarde or por la mañana). You only switch to de when an exact time is given, such as a las cinco de la tarde.