what is the diffrence?

Question

what is the difference between Que tenga un buen día and Tenga un buen día? my mom brought it up because i always say que tenga un buen día but she said why do you need the que? i always assumed it was because your shortening the sentence from esprero que tenga un buen día but can i just cut out the que?

Answer 1

Here's a link about indirect commands

Just a comment. Notice that the question's commands are not true indirect commands. It is just that the indirect command syntax is also used for this situation.

In our question's examples the speaker is commanding his listener to do something that effects the listener directly.

In true indirect commands, the speaker is commanding his listener to do something that effects a third party. In other words, he is indirectly giving the 3rd party a command through an intermediary.

Using the examples given in the linked article:

• Que entre María.

• Let María come in.

• Que vengan a las cuatro.

• Have them come at four o'clock.

In the first example, the speaker is indirectly issuing the command to María to come in by instructing the listener to allow that she does.

In the 2nd example is the speaker is commanding the 3rd party to come a 4 o'clock by instructing the listener to make it so.

As the article states, wishes and desires also share this construction, but they are not really indirect commands, per se.

Thank you for the explanation Qfreed :) - GuitarWarrior, Jul 7, 2011

Answer 2

The one with "que" is "may you have a good day." The one without is a polite command telling them to have a good day. The one with que is subjunctive, the one without is a formal usted command. They happen to be the exact same word for both though.

Answer 3

They are both abbreviations of "Espero que tenga un buen día".

If you want to be familar and direct, you could say "Ten un buen día" also. That's the familiar imperative.

Answer 4

I'm not sure, but I think the difference is this:

Que tenga un buen día = May you have a nice day.

Tenga un buen día = Have a nice day.

Here's a link about indirect commands

Answer 5

So, to a friend you could say:

Espero que tengas un buen día.

??

Answer 6

so when i take away the que the word TENGA is no longer the subjunctive for it is not the usted command form? So im ordering the person to have a good day or else? hahaha

taking away the que does not change it from formal to informal. It is still seen as imperative mood, which happens to use subjunctive mood verb forms. - 0074b507, Jul 7, 2011

ok but i can change it to tengs which would take it out of imperative correct? - fuego1995, Jul 7, 2011