Spanish language Q&A Forum

Why does the speaker sound like he is making some kind of extra sound before saying the first word "estoy"? I listed to it over and over and it sounds so strange to me - like a "y" or "e" sound before he says "estoy". Am I missing or misunderstanding something? Thanks!

Hi

9 Vosotros ________ solteros desde siempre. You guys have been single since always. The answer was estáis which would translate to  You guys are single since always.  I was looking for han estado for the answer.  Have I missed something?

Julie

rofl. Roberto: El conquistador a Angela!

Nuestras vides produjeron mucho vino el año pasado. Our vines produced a lot of wine last year. but this was the answer you provided. Our vines produced a lot of wine this year. (HINT: Conjugate "producir" in Pretérito indefinido)

I thought I was feeling pretty comfortable with the differences between the preterite and imperfect but this one has stumbled me.

"He had an English girlfriend" you have translated as Él tuvo una novia inglesa. 

But I would see this sentence as: "He used to have an English girlfriend" (Él tenía una novia inglesa) which would require the imperfect, as it is implied that he no longer has this same girlfriend.

Have I missed something or are both acceptable?

In both cases, I was hesitant about whether to include the definite articles and I erred on the side of including them - which was wrong. 

#1 - I put "vamos a intercambiar las ideas" instead of just "ideas". I've found that in English we use the definite articles much less than in Spanish, so I think I need a refresher of when to use them and when to leave them out! Can you point me in the right direction?

#2  - And with "voy a salir de casa temprano" , I actually had put this correct answer first but then doubted myself and put "voy a salir temprano de la casa". Can you explain why this is wrong? Thanks!