Spanish 3 / Unit 4: The Subjunctive in Adjective and Adverb Clauses
4.5 Infinitive or Subjunctive? Aunque and Other Cases
Notes
When the main verb and the dependent verb have the same subject, many conjunctions become prepositions followed by an infinitive.
| Different subjects (que + subjunctive) | Same subject (infinitive) |
|---|---|
| Estudio para que tú aprendas. | Estudio para aprender. |
| Salgo antes de que ellos lleguen. | Salgo antes de llegar. |
| Trabajo sin que ella lo sepa. | Trabajo sin descansar. |
- Después de, antes de, para, sin and hasta can be followed directly by an infinitive.
- Aunque (although, even if): indicative for a known fact, subjunctive for uncertainty or hypothetical situations.
- Aunque llueve, vamos al parque. (It is raining and we are going anyway.)
- Aunque llueva mañana, iremos al parque. (Even if it rains, which is uncertain.)
Practice
Voy a estudiar antes de ___ (salir).
The subject is the same, so the preposition antes de takes an infinitive.
"Aunque llueva mañana, iremos al parque." ¿Qué significa aunque llueva?
The subjunctive after aunque shows an uncertain or hypothetical event: even if it rains.
Estudio mucho ___ sacar buenas notas.
The subject stays the same (yo), so para + infinitive is used.
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