El que guarda su boca guarda su alma; Mas que el mucho abre sus labios tendrá calamidad.

Question

My question is about the following scripture:

"El que guarda su boca guarda su alma; Mas que el mucho abre sus labios tendrá calamidad." Proverbios 13:3

This isn't subjunctive with the "que," is it? Why is "mucho" placed where it is, before the verb? What tense is "abre" ? Is that an archaic form of "open"

Thank you.

Answer 1

I did think there was something wrong with the sentence and whereas Quentin got it with the mistake and all I couldn't make anything of it...which proves the level of this guy

this is the correct sentence:

Mas el que mucho abre sus labios tendrá calamidad” (Proverbios 13:3).

Welcome to the forum, travel

This would be in modern Spanish:

Pero el que abre la boca mucho, el que habla mucho, tendrá calamidades, sufrirá calamidades, tendrá problemas.

el que= the one who

Answer 2

abre is the 3rd person, singular, present tense, indicative mood of abrir. There is nothing archaic about it. abrir

Mucho is used as an adverb here and their (adverbs) placement is very flexible in Spanish.

He that guards his mouth guards his soul. The second part can be interpreted several ways. The mucho can be a lot (frivously) or opens his lips widely. Paraphrasing it could be either "the one that talks a lot" or "the one that has a big mouth" will probably suffer calamity.

Notice that the future tense of tener is used suggesting conjecture (will likely have).