porque + subjuntivo
I want to see if I learned the logic: I want to say this sentence in Spanish and I haven't looked up for a rule or something like that. But the sentence seems correct to me.
"I won't let you drive at nights although (although + just because) you know how to do it."
Porque sepas conducir no voy a permitir que lo hagas por las noches.
Thanks.
10 Answers
If you don't want to declare what you think you can use the subjunctive with porque but I think normally after porque you do declare what you think
That's true, but look at these sentences:
We are going together because he says so.
We are not going just because he says so.
In the first one, he clearly says so, but in the second one, maybe he hasn't said anything at all yet, but if he did, it wouldn't matter to me, because we are not going anyway. The second sentence is actually closer to a concesive one like
We are not going even though he says so.
where there is obviously no declaration. This can happen with negative sentences, but indicative is also possible in
We are not going because he says so.
if we mean that his words are definite, and therefore we are not going.
Porque doesn't but aunque does which you might mean to use. Aunque = even though = indicative, aunque - even if = subjunctive.
Aunque sabes conducir, no te voy a permitir que lo hagas por las noches.
That is how I learned it anyway.
Aunque sepas conducir - even if you know how to drive.
Jeezzle:
I have heard this kind of sentence only once. And because of the context I understood the meaning. And actually I wasn't sure if I had heard it correctly or not. Well, all I can tell you is:
Normally the usage of porque would make a sentence causal as you know very well:
Puedes ir en el coche, porque sabes cómo hacerlo ¿verdad?
And the usage of aunque would take us to a concessive sentence.
Aunque lo ha hecho bien, tendrá que repetirlo.
But this clarity isn't always what is waiting for us. As you know Spanish is a language which lets the speaker choose things like the tense or using the subjunctive due to how he wants to communicate the thing. And as well, it lets us add up a nuance to the meaning.
For example our very situation:
Porque sepas conducir no voy a permitir que lo hagas por las noches.
This sentence communicates more things than "Aunque sepas conducir......"
As I said above: porque (in this sentence) = solamente porque + aunque
A concessive valor is added up to a causal one.
(*) We are not going just because he says so.
In the first one, he clearly says so, but in the second one, maybe he hasn't said anything at all yet, but if he did, it wouldn't matter to me, because we are not going anyway. The second sentence is actually closer to a concesive one like
We are not going even though he says so.
Actually it is much different. A common meaning of the sentence (*) is that we are going, but not because he says we should. Of course, the meaning can be changed by emphasizing specfic words.
We are not going because he says so.
This sentence also does not necessarily mean they aren't going, and "he says so" could mean either that he said to go or said not to go.
If you don't want to declare what you think you can use the subjunctive with porque but I think normally after porque you do declare what you think - such as this case, you do think that they know how to drive don't you?
By the way wouldn't 'although' be - 'a pesar de que' or something like that instead of 'porque/because'?
(1) Because you know how to drive, I am not going to let you drive at night = The fact that you know how to drive is what prevents me from letting drive at night (this makes no sense).
(2) Just because you know how to drive, I am not going to let you drive at night = The fact that you know how to drive, and only that fact, is what prevents me from letting you drive at night (this makes no sense either).
(3) Just because you know how to drive doesn't mean I am going to let you drive at night = The fact that you know how to drive has nothing to do with whether I let you drive at night or not.
(4) Just because you know how to drive doesn't mean I have to let you drive at night = The fact that you know how to drive does not obligate me in any way to let you drive at night.
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I'm assuming Culé's construction is intended to communicate #3. Is that right?
I have to bump this again, I have gone over it with my Mexican friends at work and they say "Porque sepas" only works with "Solo" at the front, so I am curious about it. Is it only Castilian Spanish? Gracias.
Is this be a hypothetical situation? Like, a mother telling her child that can't drive that even if s/he could she wouldn't let him drive at night?
Otherwise, to me the subjunctive here sounds very strange to me 
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I'm assuming Culé's construction is intended to communicate one of the last two concepts. Is that right?
No webdunce. You put the "just because" part in the beginning. It means something to me when you put it in the middle and you don't need that "doesn't mean" part if you do so. Am I wrong?
But yes, that's what I wanted to communicate.
With indicative it would mean that, she won't be allowed to do so during the night, and the reason is because she can drive, which makes little sense.
How does porque make sense though to mean
"I won't let you drive at nights although (although + just because) you know how to do it" without "solo" to make it like aunque?
