Adverbial Clauses

Question

Hey all,

I have an exam tomorrow and I was wondering if I could get some clarification on a topic. My book isn't very helpful, my professor in unavailable and none of the websites thus far have been very helpful.

I know when to use the subjunctive and indicative. My problem lies with the ones that are "iffy" for a lack of a better word. I know when and when not to use them (ie I can recognize them if the sentence is given to me) but forming the sentence is what is troubling me, specifically in the past. What tenses should be used? Imp Subj? Imperfect? Is there like a formula like other verb forms (ir+a+inf)? Thanks for the help all.

Answer 1

You can't delete messages.
Ok, there are 9 main types of adverbial subordinates in Spanish too, but within each group there are subgroups, sometimes with different behaviour when it comes to subjunctive.

Time - tiempo
conditional - condicional
purpose - final
reason - causal
result - consecutiva
concessive - concesiva
place - lugar
manner - modo
exclamations - ''?
'? - comparativa

Answer 2

same as before, sorry

Answer 3

Sorry that this appeared several times, can I delete my posts'

Answer 4

Regarding adverbial clauses, there are too many types of adverbial clauses in Spanish (over 10).

Wow, that's a lot! In English I think there are only 9. Time clauses, conditional clauses, purpose clauses, reason clauses, result clauses, concessive clauses, place clauses, clauses of manner and clauses of exclamations.

What else does Spanish have'''

Answer 5

Regarding adverbial clauses, there are too many types of adverbial clauses in Spanish (over 10).

Wow, that's a lot! In English I think there are only 9. Time clauses, conditional clauses, purpose clauses, reason clauses, result clauses, concessive clauses, place clauses, clauses of manner and clauses of exclamations.

What else does Spanish have'''

Answer 6

Hey all,

I know when to use the subjunctive and indicative. (Wow, am I envious.) (green with envy)

What tenses should be used? Imp Subj? Imperfect? Is there like a formula like other verb forms (ir+a+inf)?

If we are talking about sentences with a main clause and a subordinate clause, then yes, there is a formula for what tense to use in the subordinate clause depending on the tense of the main clause. However, I only remember part of rule so let me look it up.

I don't understand the allusion to the periphrasis Ir+a+infinitive construction? What's the formula there?

Here's one rule concerning if clauses, they are subcategory of their own.

(h) The subordinate clause is introduced by si and expresses some hypothetical condition (past subjunctive only; never say si + present subjunctive):
Si llegara a tiempo, se divertiría
Si hubiera llegado a tiempo, se habría divertido
(note that the verb in the other clause is conditional tense.)

Lazarus provided the answer that I was looking for, so you're all set.

My apologies. I hadn't noticed that we were only discussing adverbial clauses.

Answer 7

Indicative is used when you declare things, i.e. when you want to inform others of something you know, guess, imagine, suspect,... Subjunctive is used when you can't or don't want to make a declaration. This is the main rule for the subjunctive.

Regarding adverbial clauses, there are too many types of adverbial clauses in Spanish (over 10). Which one do you want information on? In any case, the above rule about the subjunctive applies to all of them.

Present subjunctive is used for present and future phrases, but never for past ones. Imperfect subjunctive can refer to any moment in time, but it is the obvious choice for non-declarative sentences in the past. It is also used for unreal and highly hypothetical phrases.

You are also mentioning the periphrasis "ir a + inf". Too many questions for just one post. If you are more specific, maybe I can be more helpful.