Spanish Phrase
La lluvia nos arruinó el picnic.
Meaning
The rain ruined our picnic. It describes a past event where the weather spoiled a planned outdoor meal, conveying a sense of disappointment.
When to use
Use this sentence when you want to explain why a picnic (or any outdoor activity) didn’t go as planned because of rain. It works in casual conversation, storytelling, or when apologising for a cancelled event.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Lalluvianosarruinóelpicnic
Definite article + noun (La lluvia)
‘La’ is the feminine singular definite article that agrees with the noun ‘lluvia’ (rain).
Pronoun ‘nos’
‘nos’ is a clitic pronoun meaning ‘us’; it functions as a direct object here, indicating who was affected.
Preterite of ‘arruinar’
‘arruinó’ is the third‑person singular preterite of ‘arruinar’ (to ruin), matching the singular subject ‘la lluvia’.
Noun phrase ‘el picnic’
‘el’ is the masculine singular article that agrees with ‘picnic’, a borrowed word that keeps its masculine gender in Spanish.
🗨In Conversation
¿Cómo estuvo el picnic?
How was the picnic?
La lluvia nos arruinó el picnic.
The rain ruined our picnic.
✕Common Mistakes
La lluvia nos arruina el picnic.
The verb must be in preterite to refer to a completed past event; ‘arruina’ is present tense.
La lluvia arruinó nos el picnic.
Clitic pronouns precede the conjugated verb, not follow it.
La lluvia nos arruinó el picnics.
‘Picnic’ is singular; the article must agree in gender and number.
↔Alternatives
La lluvia arruinó nuestro picnic.
The rain ruined our picnic.
Se nos arruinó el picnic por la lluvia.
Our picnic was ruined by the rain.
El picnic se arruinó cuando empezó a llover.
The picnic was ruined when it started to rain.
Cultural Tip
Picnics (picnics) are a popular way to socialize in many Spanish‑speaking countries, especially in parks or beaches. Using ‘nos’ highlights the collective nature of the event, which is typical in family‑oriented cultures. Remember that ‘picnic’ is masculine despite ending in ‘‑c’, so it takes ‘el’ and ‘nuestro’.