Subjunctive jumble!

Question

I´m uncapable of measuring the grammatical correctness of this statement but i think its totally usable but i´m struggling to figure out which of these are acceptable. Please help me by posting different ways of saying the same thing. Or explaining reasoning between the subtle changes in meaning.

• Puede que sea mejor si se lo dijera a ella antes de decirselo a cualquier otro.

• Podría ser mejor si se lo dijera a ella antes de decirselo a cualquier otro.

• Creo que sea mejor dicho a ella antes de que se haya dicho a otro.

• Creo que sería mejor decirselo a ella antes de que fuera dicho a cualquier otro.

• Creo que habría sido mejor dicho a ella antes de que se lo hubiera dicho a otro.

• Creo que decirselo a ella ahora sería mejor que si se lo dijera a otro primero.

tricky isn't it - you'll get there :) - Kiwi-Girl, Sep 8, 2012

We´re always going to need to increase our vocabulary but this has to do with the subtleties of grammar. I´m determined. - Ox-Y-Gen, Sep 8, 2012

Answer 1

I would follow puede just with the infinitive or just puede que to make your life easier 'puede ser que ....' or 'puede que ...' and this as far as i understand would be followed by the subjunctive because you're not declaring what follows to be the case, just putting it out there as a maybe.

Creo que as far as I know is always followed by the indicative because right or wrong you are declaring it so your second one works with sería ....

Sería would only work if it was a definite statement. All of these express doubt and supposition. - Ox-Y-Gen, Sep 8, 2012

To clarify, I am not looking for ways to avoid the subjunctive... haha. Rather master it by knowing all its forms. And how it can be controled! - Ox-Y-Gen, Sep 8, 2012

Answer 2

To clarify, I am not looking for ways to avoid the subjunctive... haha. Rather master it by knowing all its forms. And how it can be controled!

By suggesting puede ser or puede que I wasn't trying to help you avoid the subjunctive, I was just highlighting that you can't follow poder when it's been conjugated by another conjugated verb - so you need to follow puede by an infinitive.

Puede ser que however would usually be followed by the subjunctive just like the other common contruction 'puede que' which is often used as pretty much the equivalent of quizas, tal vez, posiblemente, a lo mejor etc. They would normally take the subjunctive because they both introduce some ignorance or doubt to the statement that follows them:

Puede que debas ir consigo. Perhaps you ought to go with him.

Puede que estemos equivocados. Perhaps we are mistaken.

¿Puede ser que le guste a este chico?

Puede ser que este embarazada. It may be that I'm pregnant.

Maybe you can make a sentence to show what you mean based off the other sentences. - Ox-Y-Gen, Sep 9, 2012