Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): La lavandería entrega la ropa siempre y cuando pagues a tiempo. - The laundromat delivers the clothes as long as you pay on time.

Because siempre y cuando introduces a condition and normally triggers the present subjunctive. So you use pagues (subjunctive), not pagas (indicative).

Correct: La lavandería entrega la ropa siempre y cuando pagues a tiempo.
Using indicative would suggest a different meaning or be ungrammatical in this conditional sense.

Can I use siempre que instead of siempre y cuando?

Yes, but be careful:

siempre que
- subjunctive = provided that/so long as: … siempre que pagues a tiempo.
siempre que
- indicative = whenever/every time: Siempre que pagas a tiempo, la lavandería entrega la ropa. So siempre y cuando unambiguously means provided that and takes the subjunctive.

Where can I put the conditional clause, and do I need commas?

Both orders work:

End position (no comma): La lavandería entrega la ropa siempre y cuando pagues a tiempo.
Front position (comma after the clause): Siempre y cuando pagues a tiempo, la lavandería entrega la ropa.

How do I say this formally or to more than one person?

Change the subjunctive person:

Informal tú: pagues
Formal usted: pague
Ustedes (plural): paguen Example: La lavandería entrega la ropa siempre y cuando pague/paguen a tiempo.

What about voseo (vos)?

In most voseo regions (e.g., Argentina), the present subjunctive is typically the same as with tú: pagues. Some areas also use forms like pagués, but pagues is widely understood.

Why does pagues have a silent u?

Spelling rule: to keep the hard g before e/i, Spanish inserts u (güe/gui). From pagar you get pague, pagues, paguen. Without the u, page would sound like pah-he.

Why la ropa and not las ropas?

Ropa is a mass noun in Spanish (like clothing/laundry), so it’s normally singular and uncountable. To talk about items, say prendas (de ropa).

Could I say tu ropa instead of la ropa?

Yes. La ropa can mean the clothes in question (context-known). To be explicit: tu ropa (your clothes), su ropa (your clothes, formal or his/her). All are fine depending on context.

What does entrega convey here—home delivery or just handing it over?

Entregar means to hand over/deliver. It can be at the counter or to your home. Specify if needed:

Home delivery: entrega la ropa a domicilio
Pickup: recoge la ropa

Is entrega a verb or a noun here?

Here it’s a verb: third-person singular of entregar. As a noun, la entrega means the delivery (the act/event).

Can I replace siempre y cuando with mientras?

Sometimes, yes:

mientras
- subjunctive can mean as long as: … mientras pagues a tiempo.
But mientras
- indicative usually means while (time), which is different: mientras pagas… = while you are paying… Use siempre y cuando if you want the unambiguous condition.

Should cuando have an accent?

No. It’s cuando (no accent) in statements. You only use cuándo (accent) in questions or exclamations.

Does the verb have to be in the present? What about past or future?

You can change the timeframe:

Future: La lavandería entregará la ropa siempre y cuando pagues a tiempo.
Past/habitual: La lavandería entregaba la ropa siempre y cuando pagaras/pagases a tiempo. (sequence of tenses: past main clause → past subjunctive)

Is there any regional vocabulary difference for laundry/dry cleaner?

Lavandería = laundry business (wash/fold). Widely used in Latin America.
Tintorería = dry cleaner (dry cleaning). Common in Mexico and elsewhere.
Lavadero in Latin America often refers to a laundry room/sink; in some places it’s a car wash.

Any Spain vs Latin America differences in forms here?

Latin America uses ustedes for you-plural: paguen. In Spain you may see vosotros: paguéis (e.g., … siempre y cuando paguéis a tiempo). Otherwise, structure is the same.

Can I insert the condition in the middle?

Yes, but set it off with commas: La lavandería, siempre y cuando pagues a tiempo, entrega la ropa. More common is to place it at the start or end.

Do I ever use e instead of y in siempre y cuando?

No. The y → e change only happens before words starting with an i/hi sound (e.g., padres e hijos). Here the next word is cuando, so it stays y. The phrase is fixed: siempre y cuando.

How do I say who the clothes are delivered to?

Add an indirect object:

Pronoun: La lavandería te/le/les entrega la ropa…
Clarifying phrase: La lavandería le entrega la ropa a Juan…

Is siempre cuando (without y) acceptable?

It’s nonstandard or regional. The recommended forms are siempre y cuando or siempre que.

Is a tiempo the only way to say on time?

A tiempo is the standard everyday choice. Alternatives:

puntualmente (punctually)
In some countries/official contexts: en tiempo y forma (on time and in due form)
With a deadline: a tiempo para
- infinitive/noun (on time to/for)