Practice Makes Perfect Spanish Verb Tenses, Second ... - Ktooba.com

13. It’s a miracle that the airline (la aerolínea) didn’t lose your luggage (el equipaje).
14. Is it possible that you left (dejar) your keys in the car?
15. It’s incredible that you were born (nacer) the same day as I.
Hypothetical if-clauses in the past
Most if-clauses in the past fall under the heading “hypothetical” and are therefore, at best, presumptive,
which leads straight into the domain of the subjunctive. Consider the sentence “If I
were taller, I would play basketball.” My being taller is clearly hypothetical, and therefore the verb
“were” is in the subjunctive.
A few important points regarding this type of sentence follow.
◆ A subordinate if-clause in the past is very oft en linked with a main clause in the conditional
indicative. For example, consider the sentence “If I were taller (if-clause in the past), I would
play basketball (conditional indicative).”
◆ Only hypothetical if-clauses in the past are in the subjunctive. If the intent is to elicit true information
(and therefore they are not hypothetical), the clause remains in the indicative. Consider
the sentence Pregunté a Juan si él sabía la respuesta (“I asked John if he knew the
answer”). Th ere are two indications that the conjugated form of saber remains in the indicative:
(1) Th e information is clearly verifi able (because all you have to do is ask John), and (2) the
main clause (Pregunté a Juan) is in the preterite, not the conditional.
◆ If-clauses in the present do not take the subjunctive: Si Juan tiene el dinero, te pagará (“If
John has the money, he will pay you”). If-clauses in the present are usually followed by either
the present or the future indicative.
EJERCICIO
21·3
Si yo fuera más alto, jugaría al básquetbol. If I were taller, I would play basketball.
Recibirías buenas notas si estudiaras. You would get good grades if you studied.
Yo no iría si fuera tú. I wouldn’t go if I were you.
¿Te quedarías si hubiera un incendio? Would you stay if there were a fi re?
Traducción
1. If I had a hammer (el martillo), I’d hammer (martillar) in the morning.
2. She wouldn’t marry him if he were the last man on earth (la Tierra).
3. What would you do if I sang out of tune (desafi nadamente)?
The imperfect subjunctive 237