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Imperfect subjunctive in the subordinate clause translated into English

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Nfqufktc
September 14, 2025, 12:25 AM
¡Hola!
I would appreciate it if you could check whether I have correctly translated the subordinate clauses in the sentences below:

My translations are based on the assumption that if the main clause contains a past tense verb, the imperfect subjunctive must refer to an action yet to occur (future in the past)

1. Esas secretarias se quejaban de aquellos jefes que no les permitieran pasar más tiempo con sus familias.
Those secretaries complained about those bosses/chiefs who would not permit them to spend more time with their families.

2. Las/Esas secretarias se quejaban de aquellos jefes que se vestían de manera ridícula.
Those secretaries complained about those (the) bosses / chiefs who dressed ridiculously / in a ridiculous fashion (were in the habit of dressing ridiculously / in a ridiculous fashion).

3. Los inquilinos se quejaban de que el costo de la vivienda subiera.
The tenants complained / ?kept complaining? that the cost of housing would increase.

Also, if I wanted to say:
4. The tenants complained that the cost of housing had increased.
The meaning is that at the time the utterance was made, the high cost of the housing having come true was very much on the tenants’ mind.

Los inquilinos se quejaban de que el costo de la vivienda hubiera subido.

Thank you.

aleCcowaN
September 14, 2025, 04:02 AM
1 - The sentence should be either

Esas secretarias se quejaban de aquellos jefes que no les permitían pasar más tiempo con sus familias.

or

Esas secretarias se quejaban de que los jefes que no les permitieran pasar más tiempo con sus familias.

But if you meant the action is yet to occur

Esas secretarias se quejaban de aquellos jefes que no les iban a permitir pasar más tiempo con sus familias.

or

Esas secretarias se quejaban de aquellos jefes que no les permitirían pasar más tiempo con sus familias.

The verbal periphrasis is preferred in spoken language.

Imperfect subjunctive is allowed in the role of conditional in the apódosis of conditional sentences

quizás te lo concediera, si lo pudieses

4 Los inquilinos se quejaban de que el costo de la vivienda había subido.

if the reader isn't in the know, or

Los inquilinos se quejaban de que el costo de la vivienda hubiera subido.

if the reader is already aware of the increase.

You can use these phrases whether the increase has already been applied or not, but if it is yet to occur and you want it to be unambiguous

Los inquilinos se quejaban de que el costo de la vivienda iba a subir/ habría de incrementarse.

Nfqufktc
September 14, 2025, 07:59 AM
Thank you, aleCcowaN.

Nfqufktc
September 14, 2025, 08:23 AM
Would you elaborate on the difference for sentence #4?
I assumed that quejarse de was the verb of emotion and as such, it triggers the subjunctive in the subordinate clause.
And also I didn't understand the part about the reader being aware / not aware of the increase.
Thank you.

aleCcowaN
September 14, 2025, 09:24 PM
I will never understand all of that about emotions or whatever """"triggering"""" subjunctive. Spanish simply doesn't work that way. At all.

The same way that English doesn't say

I want you go

because there's a clash between both verbs, so it points the difference between the action talking place in the sentence (wanting) an the thing that action asks to be performed (going) by using infinitive, so the sentence becomes

I want you to come

Spanish takes advantage of that "action killer" subjunctive is and uses it as a sort of infinitive with "subject"

Quiero que vayas
Quiero ir (where's the nonsensical "trigger" here?)

Los inquilinos se quejaban de que el costo de la vivienda hubiera subido

The same here. The "action" (complaining) and the "thing" (rise of rent)

The same could have been said

Los inquilinos se quejaban del aumento en el costo de la vivienda.

but losing the time frame the subjunctive provides.

However, if the reader isn't aware of the "thing", we have to inform them of that fact by using indicative for every action enacted, hence it becomes "había subido" and the rule of thumb "información conocida: subjuntivo; información desconocida: indicativo" is born

Nfqufktc
September 15, 2025, 06:56 AM
Thank you, aleCcowan.