Subjunctive Adjective Clauses (also ch. 5 in general)

Question 1

Subjunctive in Relative Clauses (Adjective Clauses)

Answer 1

modify nouns as and adjective would. They are most commonly introduced by the relative pronoun que. Relative clauses take either the indicative or the subjunctive according to specific criteria.

Question 2

Subjunctive is used in relative clauses introduced by que when the antecedent is hypothetical, nonexistent, or unknown to the speaker.

Answer 2

Quiero comprar un automóvil que consuma poca gasolina. I want to buy a car that uses little gas. (The speaker is not referring to any specific car.)

Question 3

No encontrarás aquí a nadie que esté de acuerdo contigo.

Answer 3

you won’t find anyone here who agrees with you. (The speaker is denying the existence of the person.)

Question 4

Hay alguien en esta clase que haya estado en el Perú?

Answer 4

Is there anyone in this class who has been to Peru? (The speaker does not know whether the person exists)

Question 5

Tengo un automóvil que consume poca gasolina.

Answer 5

I have a car that uses little gas.

Question 6

Te equivocas, aquí hay varias personas que están de acuerdo conmigo.

Answer 6

You are wrong; there are several persons here who agree with me.

Question 7

En esta clase hay dos estudiantes que han estado en el Perú.

Answer 7

There are two students in this class who have been to Peru.

Question 8

When the verb in the relative clause expresses an action or state that refers to the future or whose outcome is not known to the speaker, the subj. is used.

Answer 8

Él hará lo que le digas. He will do what you tell him (to do). (you haven’t given him any orders yet.)

Question 9

Le pediré dinero al primer amigo que me encuentre.

Answer 9

I will ask for money from the first friend (whoever he may be) that I run into.

Question 10

Juan David esaba dispuesto a pagar lo que le pideiran por los cigarillos.

Answer 10

Juan David was willing to pay whatever price they asked for the cigarettes. (They hadn’t told him the price yet.)

Question 11

Coma todo el pollo que quiera por cinco dólares.

Answer 11

Eat all the chicken you want for five dollars. (The amount of chicken the person may want is unknown to the speaker.)

Question 12

Él hizo lo que le dijiste.

Answer 12

He did what you told him to do.

Question 13

Le pedí dinero al primer amigo que me encontré.

Answer 13

I asked for money from the first friend I ran into.

Question 14

Juan David siempre está dispuesto a pagar lo que le piden por los cigarillos.

Answer 14

Juan David is always willing to pay what they ask for the cigarettes. (a customary action)

Question 15

Comió todo el pollo que quiso por cinco dólares.

Answer 15

He ate all the chicken he wanted for five dollars.

Question 16

Indeterminate expressions take the subj. when they refer to a hypothesis or possibility; they take the indicative if the user makes a statement of fact or reality.

Answer 16

cualquiera que, cualquier + noun + que, comoquiera que, dondequiera que

Question 17

Cualquiera que nos ayude será recompensado.

Answer 17

Anyone who may help us will be rewarded.

Question 18

Él comerá cualquier comida que le sirvan.

Answer 18

He will eat whatever good they may serve him.

Question 19

Dondequiera que Ud. vaya encontrará pobreza.

Answer 19

Wherever you may go, you will find poverty.

Question 20

Comoquiera que lo haga, lo hará bien.

Answer 20

however he may do it, he will do it well.

Question 21

Cualquiera que nos ayudara era recompensado.

Answer 21

Anyone who helped us was rewarded.

Question 22

Él siempre come culaquier comida que le sirven.

Answer 22

He always eats whatever food they serve him.

Question 23

Dondequiera que fui, encontré pobreza.

Answer 23

Wherever I went, I found poverty.

Question 24

Comoquiera que lo hace, lo hace bien.

Answer 24

However he does it, he does it well.

Question 25

Some proportionate comparisons use the first verb in the subj. when the speaker is referring to what is hypothetical or future; otherwise, the indicative is used.

Answer 25

Mientras más estudien, más aprenderán. the more they study the more they will learn

Question 26

Mientras menos comas, más adelgazarás.

Answer 26

The less you eat, the more weight you will lose.

Question 27

Mientras menos se toque Ud. la herida, mejor.

Answer 27

The less you touch your wound, the better.

Question 28

Meintras más cerezas comas, más querrás comer.

Answer 28

The more cherries you eat, the more you will want to eat.

Question 29

Meintras más estudian, más aprenden.

Answer 29

The more they study, the more they learn.

Question 30

Por supuesto, mientras menos comía, más adelgazaba.

Answer 30

Of course, the less I ate, the more weight I lost.

Question 31

El problema de las cerezas es que mientras más comes, más quieres comer.

Answer 31

The problem with cherries is that the more you eat, the more you want to eat.

Question 32

Por + adj. or adv. + que (No matter now + adj. or adv.) is followed by the subj. when the speaker does not accept the thought expressed by the verb as a fact.

Answer 32

Por bonita que ella sea, no la elegirán reina. No matter how pretty she may be, they won’t select her as queen.

Question 33

Por mucho que te apresures, no terminarás a tiempo.

Answer 33

No matter how much you may hurry, you will not finish on time.

Question 34

Que yo sepa (que sepamos), que digamos, and que diga are common idiomatic expressions in the subj.

Answer 34

Que yo sepa (que sepamos) = as far as (I) we know

Question 35

Que digamos

Answer 35

is used to stress a preceding negative statement and it is difficult to translate since its meaning will vary with the context

Question 36

Que diga

Answer 36

I mean, in the sense of “I meant to say or that is”

Question 37

El Dr. jordán no ha llegado todavía, que yo sepa.

Answer 37

Dr. Jordán hasn’t arrived yet, as far as I know.

Question 38

Que sepamos, no han puesto todavía las notas en la pared.

Answer 38

As far as we know, they haven’t posted the grades on the wall yet.

Question 39

No coopera Ud. mucho conmigo que digamos.

Answer 39

You are not exactly cooperating with me.

Question 40

No nos queda mucho dinero que digamos.

Answer 40

We don’t actually have much money left.

Question 41

Él salió a las ocho, que diga, a las seis.

Answer 41

He left at eight , I mean, six o clock.

Question 42

Some diomatic formulas always take the subj.

Answer 42

cueste lo cueste: no matter how much it may cost (only used in third person singular)
pase lo que pase (whatever happens (only used in third-person singular)
puedas o no (puedas) whether you can or not (used in any person)
quieras o no (quieras) whether you be willing or not (used in any person)

Question 43

These formulas can be used in the past as well:

Answer 43

costara lo que costara, pasara lo que pasara, pudieras o no, quisieras o no

Question 44

Nuestro país ganará la guerra, cueste lo que cueste

Answer 44

Our country will win the war, no matter how much it may cost

Question 45

Pase lo que pase, no cederé.

Answer 45

Whatever happens, I will not give up.

Question 46

Pudiéramos o no, nuestro jefe nos hacía trabajar excesivamente.

Answer 46

Whether we could or not, our boss made us work excessively.