Phrase · 📈 Describing change
Me quedé sin palabras cuando vi lo que habían hecho.
I was speechless when I saw what they had done.
B2describing changeAudio · coming soon
Why every word is where it is
Me1object pronoun(myself)yo · 1st sing. · direct objectquedé1verbI was leftquedar · past · 1st sing.sin1prepositionwithoutpalabrasnounwordspalabra · fem. · pl.cuandoconjunctionwhenviverbI sawver · past · 1st sing.lo2determinerwhat (the thing)el · masc. · sing. · definiteque2pronounthathabían3verbthey hadhaber · imperfect · 3rd pl.hecho3verbdonehacer · participle · past · masc. · sing..
- quedé → Me: agree
- quedé → sin: prep
- vi → lo: obj
Word for word: “I was left without words when I saw what they had done.”
Why it's built this way
The notes match the numbers above.
- 1quedarse sin + noun: to end up without something. Me quedé sin palabras is the result of a shock. Verbs of change: ponerse, quedarse, volverse, hacerse, convertirse en →
- 2lo que = what, the thing that. Spanish needs lo here. Relative clauses I: que, quien, donde, lo que →
- 3habían hecho: pluperfect (pretérito pluscuamperfecto), done before I saw it. Hecho is irregular. Narrative past system: pluperfect, past progressive, iba a →