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El jefe explicó el criterio que usará para aumentar el sueldo este año.

El jefe explicó el criterio que usará para aumentar el sueldo este año.
The boss explained the criterion he will use to raise the salary this year.
FromLesson 23inHardcore Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about El jefe explicó el criterio que usará para aumentar el sueldo este año.

Why is explicó in the preterite tense instead of the present?
We use the preterite here because the boss’s explanation is viewed as a completed action in the past. If you said explica, it would sound like he’s explaining right now or habitually. Explicó clearly locates the action at a fixed point in the past.
Why does the sentence use el criterio instead of just criterio?
In Spanish, abstract nouns like criterio often take the definite article when you’re talking about a specific criterion already known to the listener. Saying el criterio signals “the particular rule” the boss mentioned, not any rule in general.
Why is que used to introduce the relative clause que usará… and not quien?
Quien refers only to people ("who"), while que is the general relative pronoun used for things or abstract concepts like criterio. Since criterio is inanimate, que is the correct choice.
Why is the future tense usará used instead of a conditional like usaría?
Even though the main verb is in the past (explicó), Spanish allows a real future action to stay in the simple future tense. The boss is actually going to use this criterion, so we use usará. A conditional like usaría would imply a hypothetical or more remote scenario.
What is the function of para in para aumentar el sueldo?
Para expresses purpose or goal. Here it means “in order to raise the salary.” If you used por, the meaning would shift toward motive or reason, which doesn’t fit as smoothly for “with the purpose of increasing.”
Can we say subir el sueldo instead of aumentar el sueldo?

Yes. Subir and aumentar can both mean “to raise.”

  • Aumentar is slightly more formal and common in written/policy contexts.
  • Subir is more colloquial.
    Both are correct in Latin America.
What’s the difference between sueldo and salario?

They’re mostly interchangeable and both mean “salary.”

  • Salario often refers to an agreed wage (hourly or monthly).
  • Sueldo is commonly used for monthly pay, especially in white-collar jobs.
    Regional preferences vary, but in many Latin American countries, sueldo is very common.
Why is el sueldo preceded by the article el?
Because you’re referring to the specific salary that the boss intends to raise, not salary in general. The definite article el makes it clear you mean “the salary (of the employees).”
Could este año go at the beginning of the sentence?
Yes, you could say Este año, el jefe explicó… or El jefe explicó este año…, but the focus shifts slightly. Placing este año at the end emphasizes the timing of the increase. At the beginning, it emphasizes the time frame for the entire action.
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“How does verb conjugation work in Spanish?”
Spanish verbs change form based on the subject, tense, and mood. Regular verbs follow predictable patterns depending on whether they end in ‑ar, ‑er, or ‑ir. For example, "hablar" (to speak) becomes "hablo" (I speak), "hablas" (you speak), and "habla" (he/she speaks) in the present tense.

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