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Si pago la multa hoy, puede que me hagan un descuento.

Si pago la multa hoy, puede que me hagan un descuento.
If I pay the fine today, they might give me a discount.
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Questions & Answers about Si pago la multa hoy, puede que me hagan un descuento.

Why does Spanish use the present tense in Si pago la multa hoy instead of something like si pagaré?

In Spanish, si + present indicative is the normal way to talk about a realistic future condition (something that could happen):

  • Si pago... = If I pay... (today / in the future)

Spanish generally does not use the future tense right after si for this meaning. So si pagaré sounds wrong here.

What’s the difference between Si pago... and Si pagara/pagase...?

They express different “levels of reality”:

  • Si pago la multa hoy, ... → a possible/likely condition (realistic).
  • Si pagara/pagase la multa hoy, ... → a more hypothetical/unreal condition (often used like If I were to pay... / If I paid... in a more speculative sense), and it usually pairs with conditional in the other clause (e.g., ... me harían un descuento).
Why is it puede que and not just puede?

Puede = can / may as a normal verb meaning ability/possibility:

  • Puede venir. = He/She can come.

Puede que + verb (subjunctive) is a fixed structure meaning It’s possible that... / It may be that... and it introduces uncertainty:

  • Puede que me hagan un descuento. = It’s possible they’ll give me a discount.
Why is hagan in the subjunctive?

Because puede que triggers the subjunctive in the following clause. It expresses uncertainty rather than a sure fact.

  • Puede que + subjunctive → uncertainty/possibility
    So: puede que me hagan... (subjunctive of hacer: hagan)
Who is me hagan referring to—who is doing the action?

Me hagan literally means “(they) do/make to me”, but in context it means “(they) give me” (a discount). The subject is intentionally vague: they = the authority/company/office handling the fine.

Spanish commonly leaves that “they” implied.

Why does Spanish say hacer un descuento (to “make” a discount) instead of dar un descuento?

In Spain, hacer un descuento is very common and natural: it means to apply/give a discount.
Dar un descuento also exists and is understandable, but hacer un descuento is often the default phrasing in everyday use (shops, fees, penalties, etc.).

What does me mean here, and where do pronouns go with this kind of verb?

Me is an indirect object pronoun meaning to me: they give *me a discount*.

With a finite verb (like hagan), it usually goes before the verb:

  • me hagan = give me

If you used an infinitive, it could attach:

  • puede que vayan a hacerme un descuento (less direct, but valid)
Why is it la multa and not una multa?

La multa suggests a specific fine that is already known in context: the fine (I got).
Una multa would mean a fine in a more general or indefinite sense.

In real life, if you’re talking about the fine you received, la multa is the natural choice.

Is puede que singular because of puede—what is the subject?

Yes: puede is 3rd person singular, and the subject is an implicit it (like English it may be that...). Spanish often omits that dummy subject.

So it’s essentially: (Ello) puede que... but you don’t say ello in normal speech.

Could I swap the order of the clauses?

Yes. You can say:

  • Puede que me hagan un descuento si pago la multa hoy.

Meaning stays basically the same. Putting the si clause first often highlights the condition as the setup; putting it last can sound slightly more like an “afterthought” condition, depending on intonation.