Question 1

Why is era used here instead of fue?

Accepted Answer

Era is the imperfect tense of ser. We use it here because we are describing what the boulevard used to be over an open-ended period in the past. If we used fue, it would imply a specific, completed event or time frame, which doesn't fit with the general time marker antiguamente (in the old days).

Question 2

Since a dump is a physical location, why do we use ser (era) instead of estar (estaba)?

Accepted Answer

Even though we are talking about a physical place, we are defining what the place was by equating it with a noun (un vertedero). Whenever you link a subject to a noun to say what it is or was, you always use ser, never estar.

Question 3

Is bulevar a loanword? The spelling looks unusual for Spanish.

Accepted Answer

Yes, bulevar is adapted from the French word boulevard. Spanish often changes the spelling of foreign words to match its own pronunciation rules, dropping silent letters and changing the vowels. Its plural form is bulevares.

Question 4

Does the word vertedero come from a verb?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it comes from the verb verter, which means to pour, spill, or dump. The suffix -dero is often added to verbs to indicate a place where that action happens, making un vertedero literally a place where things are dumped.

Antiguamente este bulevar era un vertedero.

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