Como no seas puntual, perderás el turno en la oficina.

If you aren’t punctual, you will lose your turn at the office.

Breakdown of Como no seas puntual, perderás el turno en la oficina.

• ser: to be
• en: at
• tú: you
• no: not

Questions & Answers about Como no seas puntual, perderás el turno en la oficina.

Why does como mean if here instead of as or like?

In this sentence, como is part of a fixed conditional pattern:

Como + subjunctive, ...

This structure is common in Spanish and means something like:

• If ...
• If you don’t ...
• Unless ..., depending on context

So Como no seas puntual... means If you’re not punctual... or If you don’t show up on time...

This use of como is especially common when the speaker is giving a warning or stating a consequence.

For example:

• Como no estudies, suspenderás.
  = If you don’t study, you’ll fail.

It does not mean as here.

Why is it seas and not eres?