Friday, 18 April 2014

Tell Me, Who Is Likely To Worry About Getting It Wrong?

Introduction


This post is about verb conjugation and in particular the present tense, subjunctive mood of regular verbs ending in -er.




SCENARIO



Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a colleague about some important up and coming decisions. You are talking about people being afraid of making the wrong choices and the other person says: "tell me, who is likely to worry about getting it wrong?".

In Spanish, the other person could choose to be less formal and say:
Dime, ¿quién es probable que tema equivocarse?

On the other hand, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say:
Dígame, ¿quién es probable que tema equivocarse?


OUR TIP

Answering the question is quite straightforward. However, please note that some answers require you to choose between a more formal or a less formal option -see examples below:



  • Es probable que tema* equivocarme yo (it is likely that I will worry about getting it wrong);
  • Es probable que temas* equivocarte tú, ¿verdad? (it is likely that you -familiar will worry about getting it wrong, isn't it?);
  • Es probable que tema* equivocarse usted, ¿verdad? (it is likely that you -formal will worry about of getting it wrong, isn't it?);
  • Es probable que tema* equivocarse Pedro, ¿verdad? (it is likely that Pedro will worry about of getting it wrong, isn't it?);
  • Es probable que tema* equivocarse María, ¿verdad? (it is likely that María will worry about of getting it wrong, isn't it?);
  • Es probable que temamos* equivocarnos nosotros, ¿verdad? (it is likely that we will worry about of getting it wrong, isn't it?);
  • Es probable que temáis* equivocaros vosotros, ¿verdad? (it is likely that you -familiar/ plural will worry about of getting it wrong , isn't it?);
  • Es probable que teman* equivocarse ustedes, ¿verdad? (it is likely that you -formal/ plural will worry about of getting it wrong, isn't it?);
  • Es probable que teman* equivocarse Pedro y María, ¿verdad? (it is likely that Pedro and Maria will worry about of getting it wrong, isn't it?);

Now you should practise replying to someone who says to you:
Dime, ¿quién es probable que tema equivocarse?

**Please see grammar topic below, Verbs

Verbs

A verb is a 'doing' word which conveys:
  • What action takes place in a sentence
  • Who does that action
  • When that action occurs.
In addition, the verb may also convey the mood or feelings of the speaker toward the action which takes place. The verb may, for example, indicate whether the speaker is stating a fact, expressing a wish or indeed giving an order.

Verb Conjugation
Please see notes on conjugation* at the end of this post.

Subjunctive Mood-Present Tense

    1. Regular Verbs Ending in -ar
Subject
TRABAJAR
(TO WORK)
I
Yo
TRABAJE
You
TRABAJES
You
Usted*

TRABAJE
He
Él
She
Ella
We
Nosotros
TRABAJEMOS
You
Vosotros**
TRABAJÉIS
You
Ustedes***
TRABAJEN
They
Ellos
They
Ellas

*NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you'
**NB 'You' plural
*** NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you' plural

    2. Regular Verbs Ending in -er
Subject
COMER
(TO EAT)
I
Yo
COMA
You
COMAS
You
Usted*

COMA
He
Él
She
Ella
We
Nosotros
COMAMOS
You
Vosotros**
COMÁIS
You
Ustedes***
COMAN
They
Ellos
They
Ellas

*NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you'
**NB 'You' plural
*** NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you' plural

    3. Regular Verbs Ending in -ir
Subject
VIVIR
(TO LIVE)
I
Yo
VIVA
You
VIVAS
You
Usted*

VIVA
He
Él
She
Ella
We
Nosotros
VIVAMOS
You
Vosotros**
VIVÁIS
You
Ustedes***
VIVAN
They
Ellos
They
Ellas

*NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you'
**NB 'You' plural
*** NB More courteous/ polite form of 'you' plural

* Verb Conjugation Notes
It is worth remembering once more that in its basic form (infinitive), a Spanish verb is just a general 'doing' word. In that form, a verb simply indicates an action and nothing else. If we want a verb to be more specific about the action in a sentence, we need to conjugate it. It is only when conjugated that the verb indicates:
  • Who does the action
  • When the action takes place
  • The mood/ attitude of the speaker towards the action

The conjugation tables above refer to using conjugation establish who does the action. What follows below are some notes on establishing when the action takes place and the mood/ attitude of the speaker towards the action.

Subjunctive Mood
The use of subjunctive mood is disappearing English. Nowadays is often viewed as an old and unfashionable form of the language.

In contrast, the use of subjunctive mood is very much alive and in everyday use in Spanish. This widespread use of subjunctive mood tends to be the bane of many a learner of Spanish from the English speaking world.

The concept of subjunctive mood is perhaps best illustrated by contrasting its use against the use of indicative mood with examples in English. The following are a couple of examples which should serve that purpose:
  • Indicative mood (“Peter eats an apple”).- Indicative mood is commonly used to make statements of facts or positive beliefs such as this one. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes above), the speaker makes a clear and unambiguous statement of a fact (Peter eats an apple).
  • Subjunctive mood (“Peter would eat an apple if he were hungry”).- In contrast with indicative mood, subjunctive mood is commonly used to make statements indicating hypothetical or non-fact actions. As can be seen in the sample sentence (in quotes), in this case the speaker sees the action of eating an apple as something hypothetical, something which may or may not happen (Peter would eat an apple... if he were hungry).
Verb Tenses
Verb tenses relate to setting the time period (when) during which the action of the verb takes place. Basic times (periods) for Spanish verb actions are:
  • The past (before now)
  • The present (now)
  • The future (after now)
Each Spanish verb tense corresponds to one of those basic time periods. In other words choosing a verb tense places the action of the verb in one of those basic periods and determines when the action takes place.

Now you should practise the use of the present-subjunctive mood of regular verbs with some examples of your own.

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