Subjunctive exercise

[laepelba]

Las instrucciones: Completa las oraciones con tus propias ideas. Usa el subjuntivo.

Solamente tengo una pregunta sobre UN oración:

#7) Voy a cocinar mientras que ... __________________________ .

Escribí: Voy a cocinar mientras que mire el televisor.

I had a Peruvian friend of mine check my answers for this particular exercise, and she didn't really like this sentence prompt. She said that she couldn't imagine any sentence that starts this way that would use "que". She said that, although what I wrote is probably grammatically correct, she insists that in Peru they'd never ever say something like that. She kept coming up with ideas that would NOT use "que", and would use the indicative instead of the subjunctive. We finally gave up.

I invite your thoughts? Is the "que" awkward in this prompt? Can you think of a way to complete the sentence WITH the "que" and the subjunctive? Is it a bum question?

Thanks!!

[chileno]

Originally Posted by laepelba

Las instrucciones: Completa las oraciones con tus propias ideas. Usa el subjuntivo.

Solamente tengo una pregunta sobre UNA oración:

#7) Voy a cocinar mientras que ... __________________________ .

Escribí: Voy a cocinar mientras que mire el televisor.

I had a Peruvian friend of mine check my answers for this particular exercise, and she didn't really like this sentence prompt. She said that she couldn't imagine any sentence that starts this way that would use "que". She said that, although what I wrote is probably grammatically correct, she insists that in Peru they'd never ever say something like that. She kept coming up with ideas that would NOT use "que", and would use the indicative instead of the subjunctive. We finally gave up.

I invite your thoughts? Is the "que" awkward in this prompt? Can you think of a way to complete the sentence WITH the "que" and the subjunctive? Is it a bum question?

Thanks!!

Your friend is correct. There is no way to pluck a subjunctive there, with or without "que" in there.

The blank accepts only the present indicative of a verb.

[irmamar]

Voy a hacer la comida mientras que sea de día.

Un poco forzada, me sobra ese "que" y me cuesta pensar en otra.

[laepelba]

Thanks to both of you. That is helpful. What is "de día"?
(Irma, did I miss some story of your new avatar?)

[irmamar]

De día - By day (I guess).

They are my dog's new friends (she is very sociable with other species).

[chileno]

Originally Posted by irmamar

Voy a hacer la comida mientras que sea de día.

Un poco forzada, me sobra ese "que" y me cuesta pensar en otra.

Buena! Entonces me retracto. Si se puede. (Obama, 2010)

Originally Posted by laepelba

Thanks to both of you. That is helpful. What is "de día"?
(Irma, did I miss some story of your new avatar?)

...while there is still daylight.

[laepelba]

Then could it also be something like: "Voy a cocinar mientras que mis padres estén aquí."

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Yes, but "que" makes it sound rather clumsy. "...mientras mis padres están/estén aquí" would sound better.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by laepelba

Then could it also be something like: "Voy a cocinar mientras que mis padres estén aquí."

Correcto.

Aunque yo también diría "Voy a cocinar mientras mis padres estén aquí/acá"

Sin el 'que' y no se si está bien gramaticalmente, pero se usa mucho en Chile.

[laepelba]

This is really an interesting discussion for me. My Peruvian friend really focused on the "que" as well - said that she could think of lots of ways to complete the sentence without it, but not really with it. Thanks, all!

[JPablo]

Mmmh...
Voy a cocinar mientras que haya ingredientes...
Me suena mejor:
Voy a cocinar siempre y cuando haya ingredientes...
Sí suena un poco forzadito el asunto...
Pero voy a intentar buscar ejemplos mientras que todo el mundo diga que no.

Voy a cocinar mientras que tú luego friegues los platos.
Voy a cocinar mientras que todos estén en la sala de estar y me dejen tranquilo en la cocina...

¿Voy a cocinar mientras que todo el mundo esté celebrando? ¡Nanay! Aquí, o jugamos todos... o rompemos la baraja... ya está bien que uno sea el esclavo, el chef, el chofer... y todo lo demás... y al que no le guste... que se haga un bocata...

(Uy, uy, uy... que si me empiezo a inspirar...)

Yo voy a cocinar mientras que tú estés ahí buscando inspiración...

Bueno, por lo menos, lo he intentando, y no serían ejemplos "incorrectos" aunque un poquito traídos de los pelos...

[chileno]

Creo el "que" se usa como un énfasis.

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by JPablo

Bueno, por lo menos, lo he intentando, y no serían ejemplos "incorrectos" aunque un poquito traídos de los pelos...

"... traídos de los pelos..."??

Thanks, JPablo!

So, I'm wondering ... but I'm not quite sure how to word what I want to say....

When I was in Argentina, the professors would describe certain situations by drawing a picture like this:

O--------------X------------O

.... where some action is ongoing and something else happens while the ongoing thing is happening. It seems like in all of the examples presented here that actually use "que", the "voy a cocinar" clause is the "X" and the subjunctive clause is the "O------O" action. Or am I mistaken?

[JPablo]

Sorry, "traídos de los pelos" means something like "a bit too stretched" [in form or meaning]

You may be right as far as the "construction" goes.

I think the "problem" here is that "mientras que" is kind of its own thing, "tú eres americana, mientras que yo soy español" [you are American, while I am Spanish] which normally takes an indicative form...

The "que" by itself takes subjunctive, "que yo pudiera explicarlo a mi forma, no significaría que esa fuera la forma 'ideal' o absoluta". [That (if) I could explain it my way, it wouldn mean that that was teh 'ideal' or absolute way.]

@Chileno. The "que" doesn't seem to me like emphasis or stress, but rather a "subjunctive" indicator. (?) Or something on that order. Seems to me the authors of the book were not too inspired at the moment of making the example... unless I am missing something. (As noted before it doesn't seem 'incorrect' but slightly odd.)

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by JPablo

@Chileno. The "que" doesn't seem to me like emphasis or stress, but rather a "subjunctive" indicator. (?) Or something on that order. Seems to me the authors of the book were not too inspired at the moment of making the example... unless I am missing something. (As noted before it doesn't seem 'incorrect' but slightly odd.)

And again, that's quite similar to what my Peruvian friend said - that my sentence structure was probably grammatically correct, but sounded strange and she would never say such a thing with "que". We have found lots of strange things in this book, so I am quite content to leave it at that: the book had a strange example. AND, it gave me some good discussion to follow along with.....

[chileno]

Originally Posted by JPablo

Sorry, "traídos de los pelos" means something like "a bit too stretched" [in form or meaning]

You may be right as far as the "construction" goes.

I think the "problem" here is that "mientras que" is kind of its own thing, "tú eres americana, mientras que yo soy español" [you are American, while I am Spanish] which normally takes an indicative form...

The "que" by itself takes subjunctive, "que yo pudiera explicarlo a mi forma, no significaría que esa fuera la forma 'ideal' o absoluta". [That (if) I could explain it my way, it wouldn mean that that was teh 'ideal' or absolute way.]

@Chileno. The "que" doesn't seem to me like emphasis or stress, but rather a "subjunctive" indicator. (?) Or something on that order. Seems to me the authors of the book were not too inspired at the moment of making the example... unless I am missing something. (As noted before it doesn't seem 'incorrect' but slightly odd.)

I know. I just said that because I was thinking of something else, which I never stated.

Mientras que, siempre y cuando, mientras.

While, meanwhile, as long as

Since I don't know grammar I cannot give a technical explanation.

[aleCcowaN]

That "que" has no sense. "Mientras que" is a "locución conjuntiva" and you use indicative with the joined parts:

Él tiene dos empleos mientras que tú no haces nada.

"Mientras" as a "locución temporal" has two uses:

to coordinate actions (both indicative) --->
Yo cocinaré mientras tú terminas de estudiar.

to set one action as a condition for another action to go on (subjunctive/indicative) ---->
Cocinaré mientras tú te comas lo que cocino.

We tend to use "mientras que" for contrast ("Él tiene dos empleos mientras que tú no haces nada.") and that "que" gives the clauses sort of an adjectival quality so stating the whole thing is not intended to coordinate but to compare.

When offered a sentence like "Voy a cocinar mientras que mis padres (estén/están) aquí" a Spanish native perceive kind of a contradiction between semantics and what is purported by grammar, so "mientras que" is resolved as "siempre y cuando" or other common expression using time analogies to set logical conditions.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

I have discussed this "mientras que" with some people around and we agreed with Alec that the "que" in that kind of sentence doesn't sound natural, despite the fact that some of them accepted it as a colloquial construction. However, none of the examples we came with (except some similar ones to those of Pablo introducing a condition) were made with a verb in indicative.


And we also remembered that "mientras que" is a synonym of "en cambio", but it is also followed by a verb in indicative.

· Yo tengo mucho dinero mientras que tú no tienes nada.
I have a lot of money while you have nothing.
· Estamos todos celebrando mientras que Pedro se quedó triste en casa.
We are all celebrating, while Pedro has stayed sad at home.
· Voy a cocinar, mientras que tú no vas a hacer nada.
I will cook, while (I know that) you won't do anything. (Just to bring the original construction back... no subjunctive though.)