To better understand the subjunctive!

[TreeTruffle]

These are 2 translations that I'm trying to make sense of. I suppose it's implied that "they", the govt or whoever, will protect/conserve.

The 2nd sentence, I don't know why it's "gusten". I'd love an explanation for this.

-Ojala que se conserven nuestros recursos naturales.
I hope that our natural resources will be protected.

-Nos alegramos de que te gusten las flores
We are happy that you like the flowers.


thanks,
scott

[aleCcowaN]

Think about the English sentence "I want you to come". There are two actions there (to want and to come) but only one is "acting" at the moment the sentence is said (to want). The other action is referred as a thing (to come). "I want" at the moment of saying the sentence but "to come" is an abstraction that is only "that thing I want" you to perform. If the sentence was "I want you come" it'd look like two actions are "acting" and competing for our attention.

The same way Spanish uses subjunctive. Among three or four main uses, Spanish subjunctive subdues the action of a verb so we can see it is subordinated to a main action. So in Spanish is "Quiero que vengas" (I want you to come) y no "Quiero que vienes" (I want you come). Following exactly the same pattern:

Nos alegramos de que te gusten las flores.
(Nos alegramos de eso)
(Nos alegramos de ese hecho)

[Rusty]

http://tchaidze.com/spangram/tenses_subj.html

[subtleisntme]

Originally Posted by TreeTruffle

These are 2 translations that I'm trying to make sense of. I suppose it's implied that "they", the govt or whoever, will protect/conserve.

The 2nd sentence, I don't know why it's "gusten". I'd love an explanation for this.

-Ojala que se conserven nuestros recursos naturales.
I hope that our natural resources will be protected.

-Nos alegramos de que te gusten las flores
We are happy that you like the flowers.


thanks,
scott

Verbs like alegrarse exert some sort of influence over the following verbs. These verbs ALWAYS have the subjunctive after them. Other examples of such constructions are me gusta gue and quiero que...

Me gusta que puedas venir.
Quiero que vengas.