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Ayer alquilamos un todoterreno para ir a la montaña.

Ayer alquilamos un todoterreno para ir a la montaña.
Yesterday we rented an SUV to go to the mountains.
From Lesson 528:Renting a Car·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Ayer alquilamos un todoterreno para ir a la montaña.

todoterreno is an interesting word. How is it formed, and does it change in the plural?
It is a compound noun made of todo (all) and terreno (terrain), used in Spain to mean a 4x4 or SUV. Because it is a single fused word, it follows standard plural rules, making the plural todoterrenos.
The translation uses the plural for the mountains, but the Spanish sentence uses the singular la montaña. Why?
In Spanish, la montaña is often used as a collective concept to refer to the mountainous landscape or nature in general. While you can say las montañas to refer to specific individual peaks, ir a la montaña is the most natural way to say you are going to the mountains for a trip or getaway.
Why is para used here instead of por before ir?
We use para followed by an infinitive verb like ir to express a specific purpose or goal. It acts just like the English phrase "in order to". You rented the vehicle in order to go to the mountains.
Is the verb form alquilamos the present tense or the past tense here?
It is the preterite (simple past) tense, but it looks identical to the present tense. For all regular -ar and -ir verbs, the nosotros (we) form is spelled exactly the same in both tenses. We only know it happened in the past because of the time marker ayer (yesterday).

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