Hasta que salga el sol

[ducviloxi]

In Don Omar's new song he says "hasta que salga el sol" which is supposed to translate to "until the sun rises". Question is why didn't he say "hasta que sale el sol" instead?

I am thinking "hasta que salga el sol" (subjunctive) would translate to "until the sun MAY rise", is that right? but that doesn't seem to make much sense...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vwvt2U9WLqM

[Rusty]

The use of the subjunctive is triggered because it is an event in the future.
The future is always uncertain, hence the subjunctive.
"Until the sun rises" is a good translation into modern-day English, because the subjunctive isn't used very much anymore (in American English). However, if you were to use the subjunctive, "until the sun rise" would be a faithful translation of the Spanish sentence.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

I agree with Rusty's answer.

If someone says "bailamos hasta que sale el sol", they're talking about a habit --every day we dance until the sun rises. :)

[JPablo]

I agree with both. As always, spot on!