Breakdown of Necesito confirmar si hay suficiente hielo antes de la fiesta.
yo
I
la fiesta
the party
si
if
antes de
before
necesitar
to need
haber
there is
el hielo
the ice
suficiente
enough
confirmar
to confirm
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Spanish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Necesito confirmar si hay suficiente hielo antes de la fiesta.
Why is confirmar in the infinitive after necesito?
Verbs like necesitar that express need are followed by an infinitive to show what one needs to do. Structure: necesito + infinitive.
What role does si play in this sentence?
si introduces an indirect question meaning whether or if. Here it means you want to confirm whether there is enough ice.
Why is hay used instead of tengo or está?
hay (from haber) indicates existence: that something exists or is present. tengo would mean I have (possession) and está describes location or state, not general existence.
Why is suficiente placed before hielo? Could it come after?
Quantity adjectives like suficiente often appear before the noun in Latin American Spanish. Placing it after (hielo suficiente) is grammatically correct but less common.
Why do we say antes de la fiesta and not just antes la fiesta?
Spanish requires the preposition de after antes when followed by a noun. Structure: antes de + noun.
When would you need to use the subjunctive instead of hay?
In factual questions about existence you use the indicative hay. If you express doubt, desire or a purpose you might use the subjunctive. For example:
Necesito asegurarme de que haya suficiente hielo.