Phrase · 📜 Narrating past events

Estuvimos dos horas en un trancón.

We were stuck in a traffic jam for two hours.

B1narrating past eventsinformales-COAudio · coming soon

Why every word is where it is

Estuvimos1verbwe wereestar · past · 1st pl.dosdeterminertwohorasnounhourshora · fem. · pl.enprepositioninundeterminerauno · masc. · sing. · indefinitetrancón2nountraffic jammasc. · sing..

Estuvimos → horas: estar + closed period → preterite
dos → horas: pl.
un → trancón: m. sg.

Why it's built this way

The notes match the numbers above.

1
estuvimos + length of time: a closed period takes the preterite, however long it felt. Preterite vs imperfect in narration →
2
trancón = traffic jam in Colombia; also embotellamiento, tráfico (Mexico), atasco (Spain).

Variations

Estuvimos dos horas en un embotellamiento.
Estuvimos dos horas atrapados en el tráfico.