Spanish language Q&A Forum

Luis and I haven't broken up but we gave each other some time to think.

I put "pero" because this seems like new information as much as a substitution, or at least it's a very complex substitution.

BUT, one of your example sentences for "pero" is, roughly, "I can't go out tonight, but I'll go out tomorrow." In one of your earlier replies, you give this example: "Ella no puede venir hoy sino mañana. (substituting)S he can't come today but tomorrow" 

I don't understand why these two seemingly interchangeable examples are given first as an example for "pero" in the main text and then as an example for "sino" in the comments. 

 This seems much more like a substitution, no? 

In the example, the direct object was being called for. Why use the "le" form, then?   

I wonder if the chosen translation depends on the context? 

Why isn't this en EL verano?

From the quiz:

Ben ________ la alarma.

Write ''Ben had been woken up by the alarm.

había sido despertado por

Could I also say, "A Ben le había despertado la alarma."?

Thank you.

The sound stops halfway through this example:

Yo voy al gimnasio, no porque me gusta, sino porque debo perder peso.I go to the gym, not because I like it, but because I must lose weight.

Why isn't the personal "a" used, "hacia A sus padres"?

¿Tienen el mismo significado "está por llover" y "está para llover"? ¿Hay algún matiz?

Que tal,

How interchangeable are tras and detrás? Is one preferred over another, and if so, does it vary by country or age or context?

I'm think about basic use meaning 'behind,' such as "El niño se escondía tras (detrás) las cortinas."

Thanks!

The reading exercise translates estadounidense as North American. Is this usage more common in Spain? I thought estadounidense meant American, and norteamericano = North American.