subjunctive with hay que

Question

The sentence I am having trouble with is:

Puede construirlo en cualquiera lugar, mientras que hay que construir otros en lugares especificos.

(One can build them anywhere, while one must build others in specific places.) How should I conjujate "hay que" and "construir"? Does this sentence make sense? If not, how could I reword it to make it less awkward?

I really appreciate the help!

Translating game instructions? - jacob4408, Jan 6, 2010

Answer 1

If not, how could I reword it to make it less awkward?

Are you concerned about the phrase "mientras que hay que..."? I agree it´s hard to understand. You could replace one part or the other. For example

Puede construirlo en cualquiera lugar; por lo contrario, hay que ....

Or

Puede construirlo en cualquiera lugar; mientras que debe construir...

Or

Puede construirlo en cualquiera lugar; mientras que es importante que construya...

Thank you! Very helpful! - carmen101, Jan 7, 2010

Answer 2

Hay que + infinitive is used to express the idea of "one must do something" or, "it is necessary to do something." It is a more general expression and since there is no subject, the verb form hay is always used.