Hola,
In a Spanish show, a character says to another:
Tú no sales de aquí hasta que no me traigas a ese chico.
Which I believe roughly translates to "You are not to go out until you bring this guy to me." If that is the case, could you explain why the subordinate sentence would be negated with no. Wouldn't it be:
Tú no sales de aquí hasta que me traigas a ese chico.
Thank you for your help!
Hola Jamie,
The presence of "no" in these sentences are a way to reinforce the negation in the main clause. You actually need a negative main clause to use that "no" in the subordinate clause after hasta que. The "no" is optional but very often used.
Tú no sales de aquí hasta que (no) me traigas a ese chico.
You are not leaving until you bring me that guy.
You wouldn't use it here for example:
Esperaré aquí hasta que me traigas a ese chico.
I'll wait here until you bring me that guy.
I hope this clarified it.
Saludos,
Inma
Muchas gracias, Inma!
Can this type of negative reinforcement be used with both subjunctive and indicative subordinate sentences?
Hola Jamie,
yes, it works with the indicative too, but I think it is less usual, for example:
La escuela no te admite hasta que (no) presentas toda la documentación necesaria.
The school doesn't accept you until you show them all necessary documentation.
You could drop the "no" here too, without changing meaning.
Saludos,
Inma
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