Subjunctive exercise 7-12

laepelba

July 05, 2011 09:23 PM

Subjunctive exercise 7-12

I did worse on this exercise than any of the previous ones. :( :frustrated:

Here's my main question. The entire exercise is about what if we could go back and change what happened to us in our youth... I am only copying the section about which I have a question, following:

Quote:

Se suele pensar así cuando se trata de cuestiones de amor, salud o dinero, pero imagínese un momento qué pasaría se se aplicara a las actitudes que uno tiene acerca de la política o de cuestiones de raza o de religión. Pues, los que se criaron en ambientes racistas serían racistas; un rico, si hubiera nacido pobre tal vez guardara opiniones distintas sobre cómo resolver la pobreza.

Why is "criaron" indicative and not subjunctive?

Thank you for any help you can give!! :rose:

Perikles

July 06, 2011 03:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laepelba (Post 113305)

Why is "criaron" indicative and not subjunctive?

I think you are asking the wrong question. I find the best way of looking at moods is to assume indicative unless there is a particular reason for a subjunctive. Indicative is a default option. There are certainly people who grew up amongst racists, these are not hypothetical people. So why would the mood be subjunctive? :)

laepelba

July 06, 2011 05:05 AM

(Looooong sigh.....) Okay, I guess that makes sense..... Thank you. These exercises are kicking my butt........................... :(

aleCcowaN

July 06, 2011 05:34 AM

[***Pero imagínese por un momento que ...

Pues,] [** los que se criaron ..... serían .... ]

[***Are you imagining what I am saying? Are we imagining the same? Well, what is cognitively hypothetical is now a consensual reality]

[** That said, the speaker can use either past simple indicative -sure things; timeless truths- or past perfect subjunctive -for a more hesitant or speculative approach-: "Los que se criaron en un ambiente racista serían racistas" or "Los que se hubieran criado en un ambiente racista serían racistas". You may even say "Los que se criaran en un ambiente racista serán racistas" in a foresighted fashion-]

The fact is that "imagine this" lead us to controlled speculation and as every hypothetical analysis must have at least one hypothesis, those hypothesis tend to be dealt as real facts: "los que se criaron" (Oh! Those!), "los que se hubieran criado" (Those who I can't identify by the moment but I know for sure they exist)

laepelba

July 06, 2011 05:59 AM

That was closer to what I was thinking. I forgot to make it past subjunctive ... but I really wanted to use the subjunctive there. I suppose I understand the arguments on both sides. Thanks, Alec. By the way, did you see my comment on the tread about missing the bus? ;)

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