sentence/conjugation question
"Porque el que quiera salvar su vida, la perderá; pero el que pierda la vida por causa mía, la salvará"
Why is it in this sentence that "querer" is not conjugated to "quiere" and "perder" is not conjugated to" pierde "
1 Answer
"Porque el que quiera salvar su vida, la perderá; pero el que pierda la vida por causa mía, la salvará"
Why is it in this sentence that "querer" is not conjugated to "quiere" and "perder" is not conjugated to" pierde "
Because the speaker is not saying such people exist, they are hypothetical people in an adjectival que clause, see number 3 at the below reference. Such people may or may not exist- indicative is only used when such people are known to exist- when you are asserting their existence.
http://users.ipfw.edu/jehle/courses/subjadj.htm
More examples of the three types of situations:
- The indicative is used in an adjectival clause when there is a definite antecedent:
Hay algo aquí que me gusta. There is something here which I like. Conoces al profesor que vive allí? Do you know the professor who lives there? Leo un libro que explica todo eso. I'm reading a book which explains all that. Tienen una criada que habla español. They have a maid who speaks Spanish.
- The subjunctive is used in an adjectival clause when antecedent is negated:
No hay nada aquí que me guste. There is nothing here I like. No veo *a nadie que conozca. I don't see anyone I know. No recomendamos ningún libro que él haya escrito. We don't recommend any book he has written.
- The subjunctive is used in an adjectival clause when there is an indefinite antecedent:
Hay algo aquí que te guste? Is there anything here you like? Quiero leer un libro que explique todo eso. I want to read a book which explains all that. Conoces *a alguien que viva cerca de aquí? Do you know anyone who lives nearby? Buscamos una criada que hable español. We're looking a maid who speak Spanish. [We hope we can find one!]
