Breakdown of Puede que mis amigas no entiendan el trámite, pero yo se lo explico con calma.
yo
I
mi
my
con
with
pero
but
la amiga
the friend
entender
to understand
.
period
no
not
lo
it
,
comma
explicar
to explain
la calma
the calm
puede que
might
el trámite
the procedure
se
to them
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Questions & Answers about Puede que mis amigas no entiendan el trámite, pero yo se lo explico con calma.
Why does puede que use the subjunctive, and not the indicative?
Puede que expresses possibility/uncertainty (roughly it may be that), so Spanish typically requires the subjunctive in the following clause: Puede que… entiendan. If you used the indicative (puede que entienden), it would sound ungrammatical to most speakers.
What tense/mood is entiendan?
Entiendan is the present subjunctive, 3rd person plural, from entender. It matches mis amigas (they).
Why is it no entiendan and not no entienden?
Because the verb is governed by puede que, which triggers the subjunctive. The negation no doesn’t cause the subjunctive by itself here; puede que does. So you get no entiendan (subjunctive), not no entienden (indicative).
What does el trámite mean, and how is it used in Spain?
In Spain, el trámite commonly refers to an administrative procedure/piece of paperwork: an application process, bureaucratic step, formal procedure, etc. It’s very typical in contexts like government offices, banks, immigration, university admin, and so on.
Why is yo included? Isn’t Spanish supposed to drop subject pronouns?
Spanish often drops them, but yo is added for emphasis/contrast: …pero yo… = …but I (on the other hand)…. You could say pero se lo explico con calma and it would still be correct; it just sounds a bit less contrastive.
What do se lo mean here? Who/what are they?
It’s a combination of two object pronouns:
- se = to them (stands for les, referring to mis amigas)
- lo = it (referring to el trámite)
So se lo explico = I explain it to them.
Why is it se lo and not les lo?
Spanish changes le/les to se when it appears next to lo/la/los/las:
- les + lo → se lo This avoids the awkward sound of les lo.
Why is the second verb explico in the indicative, not the subjunctive too?
Because the second clause states what the speaker actually does (a real, factual action): pero yo se lo explico…. The uncertainty is only in the first clause (Puede que…).
What’s the word order rule for se lo explico?
With a conjugated verb, object pronouns normally go before the verb:
- se lo explico They can also attach to an infinitive/gerund, but there isn’t one here.
Could I say explico el trámite a mis amigas instead of using pronouns?
Yes. A natural full version is:
- …pero yo explico el trámite a mis amigas con calma. The pronoun version (se lo explico) is more typical once the people/thing are already known.
What’s the nuance of con calma?
Con calma means calmly / patiently / without rushing. It often implies you take time, keep a relaxed tone, and explain step by step.
Is puede que interchangeable with puede ser que?
They’re very similar and both take the subjunctive:
- Puede que…
- Puede ser que… Puede que is a bit more compact/common in everyday speech; puede ser que can sound slightly more explicit.