Question 1

Why does it use casualidad instead of a word that looks like "coincidence"?

Accepted Answer

Casualidad is the most natural way to say "coincidence" or "chance" in Spanish. Be careful with false friends: a "casualty" in an emergency is una víctima, not una casualidad. While the word coincidencia does exist, ¡Qué casualidad! is the standard, everyday set phrase for "What a coincidence!".

Question 2

Why is the imperfect tense used here (iba) instead of the preterite (fui)?

Accepted Answer

The structure ir a plus an infinitive in the imperfect tense (iba a llamar) expresses an intention you had in the past, especially when it was interrupted or right before it was supposed to happen. If you used the preterite (fui a llamar), it would mean you actually went and made the call, focusing on the completed action rather than the interrupted plan.

Question 3

Could I attach te to the end of the verb instead of putting it at the beginning?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can! Because llamar is in its infinitive (unconjugated) form, you can attach the pronoun directly to it, making it Iba a llamarte ahora mismo. Both Te iba a llamar and Iba a llamarte are perfectly correct and equally common in Spain.

Question 4

What does mismo add to ahora? Doesn't ahora already mean "now"?

Accepted Answer

While ahora means "now", adding mismo emphasizes the exact moment. Ahora mismo translates to "right now" or "this very second". You will often see mismo used this way for emphasis with other time and place words too, like aquí mismo (right here) or hoy mismo (this very day).

¡Qué casualidad! Te iba a llamar ahora mismo.

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