Phrase · 📢 Reporting news and promises
Se supone que el autobús pasa cada diez minutos, pero llevo media hora esperando.
The bus is supposed to come every ten minutes, but I've been waiting for half an hour.
B2reportingAudio · coming soon
Why every word is where it is
Se1pronoun(impersonal) it3rdsupone1verbis supposedsuponer · present · 3rd sing.queconjunctionthateldeterminerthemasc. · sing. · definiteautobúsnounbusmasc. · sing.pasaverbcomes bypasar · present · 3rd sing.cada2determinereverysing.diezdeterminertenminutosnounminutesminuto · masc. · pl.,peroconjunctionbutllevo3verbI have been (for)llevar · present · 1st sing.mediaadjectivehalfmedio · fem. · sing.horanounhourfem. · sing.esperando3verbwaitingesperar · gerund.
- autobús → pasa: agree
- llevo → hora: obj
- hora → media: agree
Word for word: “It is supposed that the bus passes every ten minutes, but I carry half an hour waiting.”
Why it's built this way
The notes match the numbers above.
- 1Se supone que = "it's supposed to": what was announced or expected, often contradicted right after with pero. Impersonal and passive se; reciprocal se →
- 2cada diez minutos = every ten minutes, with no preposition.
- 3llevar + time + gerund = to have been doing something for…: llevo media hora esperando. Verbal periphrases II: soler, dejar de, ponerse a, estar a punto de, seguir and llevar + gerund →
Variations
- Se supone que el camión pasa cada diez minutos, pero llevo media hora esperando.