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Subjunctive question !

Subjunctive question !

2
votes

Cuando María llegue a casa, su marido no habrá vuelto del supermercado todavía.

Cuando Estela y Juan se casaron, habían sido novios por cinco años.

I thought "cuando" calls for subjunctive. So howcome on the second sentence the verb casar is not subjunctive?

1878 views
updated Jul 27, 2010
posted by arit88

5 Answers

2
votes

Everyone else seems to have pretty much covered it, but I thought I'd just add one thing. Indeterminacy is a subjunctive 'trigger', and the first situation requires the subjunctive because the time at which she gets home is undetermined. The second situation calls for the indicative because the time at which they got married is determined. It happened at a specific, determined time. I find it helpful to think of certain things, like indeterminacy, as triggering the subjunctive, rather than memorizing something like "after cuando when talking about the future. Not after cuando when talking about the past," for a hundred different words like cuando.

updated Jul 27, 2010
edited by MacFadden
posted by MacFadden
4
votes

Because that's the preterite tense so you are talking about something that has already happened - it's already an established fact smile

When E & J got married smile

updated Jul 26, 2010
posted by Kiwi-Girl
Excellent, Maria Claire. - 005faa61, Jul 26, 2010
Gracias JC :) - Kiwi-Girl, Jul 26, 2010
perfect - Izanoni1, Jul 26, 2010
Thanx Iza :) - Kiwi-Girl, Jul 26, 2010
3
votes

Because it is a past action that is finished. There is no way the outcome of this action can be in question.

updated Jul 26, 2010
posted by 005faa61
2
votes

cuando is followed by the subjunctive when it refers to a future action

Voy a hacerlo cuando llegue a casa.

I'm going to do it when I get home. (when I get home-future action)

Cuando María llegue a casa, su marido no habrá vuelto del supermercado todavía.

When María gets home, her husband will not have returned from the supermarket yet.

When María gets home...future action.

updated Jul 26, 2010
edited by 0074b507
posted by 0074b507
0
votes

Cuando Estela y Juan se casen

Cuando Estela y Juan se casaban

Cuando Estela y Juan se casan...

and more ..., cuando not call for subjunctive.

updated Jul 26, 2010
posted by kawalero
or ¿Cuando Estela y Juan se casarán? (future simple) - kawalero, Jul 26, 2010