A Case for Past or Present Subjunctive?

A Case for Past or Present Subjunctive?
 

People,

I was listening to a soap opera on TVE and a little boy said that he was sad because he wanted to attend a certain funeral, but the ladies of the house told him "... dijeron que me quede". Why is the present being mixed with the past?

I was thinking "dijeron que me quedara".

Could somebody orient me, please?

Silopanna/Dean

Both uses are possible. In the good o'le times of "Spanish is made in Spain" it was forced the tense coordination of Latín: dijeron que me quedara, past with past, consequtia temporum.

The modern ways consider both cases to be correct and talk about "the timeframe in the speaker's mind". If the speaker says dijeron que me quede, it means he's describing it from the timeframe the thing was originally said. If quedara, he's standing in the present.

I'll tell you the way I use it

-¿Por qué no te has ido aún?
-Porque Fulana dijo que me quede.

(This is why I am here)

-¿Por qué estabas todavía aquí/allí ayer a la tarde?
-Porque Fulana dijo que me quedara.

(That Is why I was here/there)

aleCcowaN,

Thanks for the explanation. I see that he put himself back in that time frame when he spoke.

Later!

Dean