Cuando termine la obra, vamos a aplaudir.

when

Breakdown of Cuando termine la obra, vamos a aplaudir.

• nosotros: we
• ir: to go
• a: to

Questions & Answers about Cuando termine la obra, vamos a aplaudir.

Why is it termine and not termina?

Because after cuando when you are talking about a future event that has not happened yet, Spanish normally uses the present subjunctive.

So:

• Cuando termine la obra, vamos a aplaudir. = When the play/performance is over, we’re going to applaud.
• Cuando termina la obra, aplaudimos. would usually describe a habit or something that normally happens: When the play ends, we applaud.

So termine is not past tense here. It is present subjunctive, used because the ending of the performance is still in the future.

Why do we use the subjunctive after cuando here?

Because cuando can be followed by either:

• the indicative, if the action is seen as real, habitual, or already known
• the subjunctive, if the action is in the future or has not yet happened

In this sentence, the ending of the performance has not happened yet, so Spanish treats it as pending/future:

• Cuando termine la obra... = future, not yet completed

Compare:

• Cuando termina la obra, la gente sale.
  When the play ends, people leave.
  → habitual/general truth

• Cuando termine la obra, la gente saldrá.
  When the play ends, people will leave.
  → future event

What does obra mean here?