como si

Question

I found the following, probably written by a non-native Spanish speaker (judging from where I found it).

El asma es una enfermedad que afecta al sistema respiratario. Es como si los tubitos de tus pulmones estuvieron apretados de tal forma que no pudieron coger ni echar aire.

Is it correct to use estuvieron here, rather than the subjunctive estuvieran? If not, should pudieron be pudieran'

Answer 1

James Santiago said:

Lazarus, is this usage related to the use of "si" I asked about in one of my first posts at this forum?

They are some connections. In your example has simply an emphatic use, and my first one, although it is emphatic, it is a comparison as well. My second example is unrelated, and the third one is a coincidence, where "si" happens to follow a typical "tanto... como..."

Answer 2

Lazarus, is this usage related to the use of "si" I asked about in one of my first posts at this forum?

[url=http://my.spanishdict.com/forum/topic/show'id=1710195%3ATopic%3A65733]http://my.spanishdict.com/forum/topic/show'id=1710195%3ATopic%3A65733[/url]

Answer 3

Thanks!

One of my books on the subjunctive (J. Borrego et al) has the example "Tanto si juega como si no juega, perderá el dinero". And they're saying that there also are some "casos aislados" where como si can be used with the indicative in real comparisons, but I didn't find any examples of that in the book.

Answer 4

Vikingo said:

Could you give a couple of examples of this usage?

Warning: not for beginners!

Por mí, como si te ibas ahora mismo. (colloquial)
Es como si no invitas nunca, y te quejas de que no te invitan a ti.

And, of course (but this is different):

Tanto si vienes, como si no vienes.

Answer 5

lazarus1907 said:

I don't want to make anyone confused, but there exists the possibility of using the phrase "como si" with indicative too in certain cases. The reason why, for example, the imperfect can be used with this phrase is easier to understand using a particular approach for this tense that I found very compelling, but doesn't seem to be popular. Anyway, I'm digressing too much.

Could you give a couple of examples of this usage'

Answer 6

I don't want to make anyone confused, but there exists the possibility of using the phrase "como si" with indicative too in certain cases. The reason why, for example, the imperfect can be used with this phrase is easier to understand using a particular approach for this tense that I found very compelling, but doesn't seem to be popular. Anyway, I'm digressing too much.

Answer 7

I have to agree with you subjunctive would be better here than Preterit.

Answer 8

Thanks. That makes me feel sure that the writer, who I think is American, made that mistake because most English speakers have a very hard time using the subjunctive in English, so they tend to make the same mistakes in Spanish. "As if" usually takes the subjunctive in English, too, but most native speakers don't know that, and few use it correctly.

He talked as if he were rich / Hablaba como si fuera rico

But many English speakers say "He talked as if he was rich."

Answer 9

No, after "como si", it should have been subjunctive in "estuvieran" and "puedieran".

Also, it is "respiratorio"