Question on past subjunctive?

Question

1. El policía quería hablar con el testigo que (vio, viera) el secuestro de la niña.

This is from this website: http://www.colby.edu/~bknelson/SLC/subj_past_adj1.php

The website says that the answer is "vio" because "the witness" is a specific person--I agree with this. However, the first part of the sentence is "querer". Most of the time, when the first cluase has "querer", then the second clause is in the subjunctive--obviously the past subjunctive in this case since the first cluase is in the imperfect.

**And I'm really sorry for offending anyone but if you had read my questions on proofreading from before, they had almost no errors BECAUSE i believed they had none.--I had written them myself.

Did you look into the link I gave you on the subjunctive? It should help. - rac1, Aug 15, 2013

yes i did - englishespanol, Aug 15, 2013

Answer 1

Vio is correct because it pertains to the completed action of the wittness and has nothing to do with a desire upon the part of the police.

Subjunctive would be used in a case like this: El policía quería que el testigo que vio el secuestro de la niña le hablara. Here the police wanted the wittness to do an action in the past.

Subjunctive is so confusing :( Thank youu :) - englishespanol, Aug 14, 2013