Subjunctive exercise 7-10

[laepelba]

Another one with which I did quite poorly.

Aquí van mis dudas. Thank you in advance for any help you can give me!!

1) Sentence: Cuando don Eugenio quería que las enfermeras le dieran de alta en el hospital, ellas le dijeron que llenara unos formularios y que leyera con cuidado las instrucciones que tenía que seguir en cuanto a cómo y cuándo tomar los medicamentos que su médico le había recetado el día anterior.
My questions:
- I do not understand the meaning of the phrase "le dieran de alta". I can't even guess at what it might mean.
- Near the end of the sentence, I wrote "recetó" instead of "había recetado". Is this also okay?

2) Sentence: Lo que sí le pesaba era que el médico hubiera indicado que su condición le obligaría a seguir tomando ciertos medicamentos para siempre.
My question:
- I didn't use a compound tense, but merely "indicara". Is this also okay?

The remainder of my (many) errors I now understand. Thanks!!!

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by laepelba

1) Sentence: Cuando don Eugenio quería que las enfermeras le dieran de alta en el hospital, ellas le dijeron que llenara unos formularios y que leyera con cuidado las instrucciones que tenía que seguir en cuanto a cómo y cuándo tomar los medicamentos que su médico le había recetado el día anterior.
My questions:
- I do not understand the meaning of the phrase "le dieran de alta". I can't even guess at what it might mean.
!

I can answer this bit at least. From my dictionary:

alta femenino + artículo masculino en el singular
A (Medicina) discharge; dar el alta a or dar de alta a un enfermo to discharge a patient
B (España)
1 (Fisco, Servicios Sociales): no los dieron de alta en la Seguridad Social they did not register them with Social Security; darse de alta en Haciendato register with hacienda B2 for taxation purposes
2 (ingreso) membership; solicitó el alta en la organización she applied for membership in (inglés norteamericano) o (inglés británico) of the organization; causar alta en el ejército to enlist in the army;

[laepelba]

Oh my!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!! Do you have any idea how much time I spent agonizing over that!!!!????? Ugh!!!! I can't believe I missed the idiomatic sense........

[aleCcowaN]

Both instances of past perfect come from an action in the past that happens and ends before other related action in the past: the prescription predates and relates to the discharge; he is sorry about -and as a consequence of- the previous instructions given by the physician.

In 2) you may use your option if it is known information, then referred as a thing (subjunctive) and not informed as a fact (indicative). You may use your option in 1) too; it sounds a bit more informal, less tidy, so to speak.

Summarizing, you have "failed" because the exercise was made with a language style and on a certain premise about what is known and what is informed by the act of speaking that you were not aware of. Not a big deal.