Aunque + subjunctive in the sense "Even though ..."
As Inma says, sometimes it is quite difficult to draw a 'sharp line' between occasions when we should, and when we should not use the subjunctive.
My grammar book [by Butt & Benjamin] offers a simple and interesting guideline to help decide which would be best in the context of "aunque, referring to present [and also past] events". As is to be expected, expressing something in the subjunctive "strengthens the concession". Thus, they suggest that if you can translate it as "even though ...", then the subjunctive will be more appropriate:
"Even though you don't like films, you will like this one" >
"Aunque no te gusten las películas, ésta te va a gustar".
The Butt & Benjamin "rule" is of course quite consistent here with the concept of "shared information which is known both by the speaker and by the listener".
Butt & Benjamin cite another example [quoting a Peruvian Scholar]:
"I'll never blame Octavia, even though I may have tried to sometimes" >
"Jamás culparé a Octavia, aunque lo haya intentado alguna vez".
As Inma says, sometimes it is quite difficult to draw a 'sharp line' between occasions when we should, and when we should not use the subjunctive.
My grammar book [by Butt & Benjamin] offers a simple and interesting guideline to help decide which would be best in the context of "aunque, referring to present [and also past] events". As is to be expected, expressing something in the subjunctive "strengthens the concession". Thus, they suggest that if you can translate it as "even though ...", then the subjunctive will be more appropriate:
"Even though you don't like films, you will like this one" >
"Aunque no te gusten las películas, ésta te va a gustar".
The Butt & Benjamin "rule" is of course quite consistent here with the concept of "shared information which is known both by the speaker and by the listener".
Butt & Benjamin cite another example [quoting a Peruvian Scholar]:
"I'll never blame Octavia, even though I may have tried to sometimes" >
"Jamás culparé a Octavia, aunque lo haya intentado alguna vez".
This page seems odd
In the "Examples and Resources" section I found this incorrect translation:
En la mañana ordeno mi dormitorio.
In the afternoon I tidy up my bedroom.The sample sentences in all of the lessons are too fast when the sentences are long and complex, even for advanced students. I have to use a separate text to speech app at a slightly reduced speed in order to fully understand them. They are not just speaking at normal speed, but at a very high speed. (In my considered opinion)
thank you, James
I keep tripping up on this! Asked to choose correct answers in a multiple choice, I chose as follows:
It takes 10 minutes to paint it = Se tarda..., Se tardaron... and Tarda...
Tarda was marked as incorrect. However, it seems to me that it has some legitimacy. Thing is, there's no indication what 'it' actually is, so it could in fact be the subject of the sentence! That might seem odd, but perhaps if you were to think of 'it' being a train in the sentence '(el tren) Tarda dos horas en llegar a Madrid' it might make a bit more sense - especially if this was said as a reply and the subject was already established.
If the question gave a hint like 'form a passive' or 'we don't know who or what the subject is', that would leave little doubt. But as is, it not entirely clear.
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