Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): No quiero que falle el ordenador durante la reunión. - I do not want the computer to fail during the meeting.

Because querer + que + different subject requires the present subjunctive in Spanish. Here, the main clause is a wish (No quiero…), and the subordinate clause has a different subject (el ordenador), so you use subjunctive: falle. Using the indicative (falla) would be ungrammatical in this structure.

Correct: No quiero que falle el ordenador.
Wrong: No quiero que falla el ordenador. Note: No quiero fallar means “I don’t want to fail” (I am the subject), which is a different meaning.

Could I say No quiero que el ordenador falle instead of …que falle el ordenador?

Yes. Both word orders are correct:

No quiero que falle el ordenador.
No quiero que el ordenador falle. Spanish often places the subject after the verb, especially when the subject is not the focus or is new/less important information. Fronting the subject (…que el ordenador falle) is also natural and may sound slightly more neutral or clarifying. There’s no change in meaning.

Do I need the que? Can I say “No quiero el ordenador falle…”?

You must use que. After verbs of wishing, wanting, requesting, etc., Spanish introduces the subordinate clause with que. Omitting it is ungrammatical:

Correct: No quiero que falle el ordenador.
Incorrect: No quiero el ordenador falle…

Why not a future form like fallará or va a fallar?

In subordinate clauses after expressions of desire, Spanish uses the present subjunctive to refer to future time. You do not use the future tense there:

Correct: No quiero que falle el ordenador (mañana).
Incorrect: No quiero que el ordenador fallará / va a fallar. You can use the future in a main clause: El ordenador fallará mañana (“The computer will fail tomorrow”).

When would I use fallara/fallase instead of falle?

Use the imperfect subjunctive (fallara/fallase) when the main verb is in a past or a conditional form:

Past desire: No quería que fallara el ordenador.
Polite/hypothetical: No querría que fallara el ordenador. Both -ra and -se forms are correct; -ra is more common.

Is fallar the most natural verb for a computer in Spain?

It’s common and fine, but depending on the problem, Spaniards often choose more specific verbs:

se estropee / se averíe = breaks down
se cuelgue / se quede colgado = freezes/hangs
se apague = turns off
se reinicie = restarts
se caiga (el sistema/Internet/servidor) = goes down (for systems/networks)
Colloquial: petar = crash/bust (very informal) Example: No quiero que se cuelgue el ordenador durante la reunión.

Should there be a se with fallar (…que se falle el ordenador)?

No. Fallar is intransitive in this meaning and does not take a reflexive se. Say que falle el ordenador. If you want a reflexive, choose a verb that is reflexive by nature in this sense, like estropearse, apagarse, or colgarse:

No quiero que se estropee el ordenador.

What about No quiero que se me estropee el ordenador? What does se me add?

That’s very natural Spanish. Se me… is a dative of interest that highlights the negative impact on you (“that my computer breaks on me”). It’s common with accidental or unwanted events:

No quiero que se me estropee el ordenador (I don’t want my computer to break on me).

Why ordenador and not computadora?

In Spain, the standard word is ordenador. In most of Latin America, you’ll hear computadora or computador. So for Peninsular Spanish, ordenador is the best fit.

Is reunión a false friend of English “reunion”?

Yes. Spanish reunión generally means “meeting.” English “reunion” (people meeting again after a long time) is more like reencuentro or reunión de exalumnos (alumni reunion), depending on context. Here, la reunión = “the meeting.”

What’s the difference between durante la reunión, en la reunión, and mientras?

durante la reunión = during the meeting (emphasizes the time span).
en la reunión = at/in the meeting (location/time point; also natural here).
mientras is a conjunction and needs a verb: …mientras estamos en la reunión (“while we are in the meeting”). You can’t say mientras la reunión on its own.

Why is it la reunión and not una reunión?

La reunión refers to a specific meeting both speaker and listener know about (e.g., “the meeting” today). Una reunión would mean “a meeting” in general, not a particular one:

No quiero que falle el ordenador durante la reunión (de las 10).
No quiero que falle el ordenador durante una reunión (during any meeting).

Is there a difference between No quiero que falle and Quiero que no falle?

Small nuance in focus:

No quiero que falle = I don’t want it to fail (avoiding failure).
Quiero que no falle = I want it not to fail (a positive desire for reliability). In practice, both usually communicate the same intention; the second can sound a bit stronger about ensuring it doesn’t fail.

Can I add a pronoun like me to say “fail me,” as in No quiero que el ordenador me falle?

Yes. Me emphasizes that the failure affects you personally: No quiero que el ordenador me falle durante la reunión (“I don’t want the computer to let me down during the meeting”). This is idiomatic in Spanish.

Any pronunciation tips for tricky words here?

falle: the “ll” is usually pronounced like English “y” in Spain (yeísmo): “FA-yeh.”
reunión: three syllables re-u-nión, stress on the last syllable: “reh-oo-NYON” (IPA: [re.uˈnjon]).
ordenador: stress on the last syllable: or-de-na-DOR.