Breakdown of No tengas miedo de tocar ese instrumento, el profesor te guiará.
de
of
tener
to have
el profesor
the teacher
no
not
,
comma
el miedo
the fear
tocar
to play
el instrumento
the instrument
te
you
guiar
to guide
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Questions & Answers about No tengas miedo de tocar ese instrumento, el profesor te guiará.
Why is tengas used in “No tengas miedo” instead of an indicative form like tienes?
In Spanish, negative commands for the informal second person (tú) require the present subjunctive form. Here, tengas is used to form the negative command “don’t be afraid.” Even though it resembles the subjunctive, it's necessary for issuing a negative directive rather than stating a fact.
What role does the structure “de tocar ese instrumento” play in the sentence?
The phrase “de tocar ese instrumento” is an infinitive clause introduced by the preposition de. It explains what the fear is related to – specifically, playing that instrument. This structure tells us that the fear being addressed is about the action of playing the instrument.
Why is ese used to modify instrumento instead of este?
The demonstrative adjective ese is used to refer to something that is not in the immediate vicinity of the speaker. In this context, it implies that the instrument is known or visible to both the speaker and the listener but isn’t close to the speaker. This usage is common in Latin American Spanish to indicate a moderate distance between the object and the speaker.
Why is el profesor te guiará expressed in the future tense rather than as a command?
The future tense in el profesor te guiará is employed to give reassurance or promise. It indicates that the teacher will definitely guide you, offering comfort and certainty rather than commanding the teacher to act or instructing you directly. It’s more a promise of support than an imperative.
Who are the subjects in the two parts of the sentence, and how do they affect the verb forms?
In the command No tengas miedo, the subject is implicit and refers to “you” (using the tú form), which is why tengas is conjugated accordingly. In the following clause, el profesor te guiará, the subject is explicitly el profesor, and the verb guiará is conjugated in the third person singular future tense. Each clause is structured to address different participants in the scenario.
How is a negative command like this one formed in Spanish?
To form a negative tú command, you start with the first person singular (yo) form of the verb in the present indicative, remove the -o ending, and then add the appropriate subjunctive ending. For the verb tener, this process results in tengas. This construction is distinct from affirmative commands, which typically use a different form, and it’s a standard way to tell someone “don’t do something” in Spanish.