Reacting with "¡Qué... que...!"
When you want to express a strong opinion or emotional reaction to news—like a neighborhood council's recent decisions—you can use the exclamatory structure ¡Qué... que...! (What a... that... / How... that...).
The formula is: ¡Qué + [noun or adjective] + que + [verb]
Using the subjunctive for emotions
Because these exclamations express a subjective feeling, evaluation, or reaction rather than simply declaring a fact, the verb that follows que must always be in the present subjunctive.
For example, to express frustration or outrage, you might use nouns like la barbaridad (outrage / nonsense) or el coraje (anger / frustration):
| What an outrage that the neighborhood committee approves that! | ¡Qué barbaridad que el comité vecinal apruebe eso! |
| How infuriating that they are destroying the pedestrian street! | ¡Qué coraje que destruyan la calle peatonal! |
Similarly, when you hear good news and want to express joy or relief, use the exact same structure with positive nouns like el alivio (relief) or la maravilla (marvel / wonder). The verb following que is still in the subjunctive:
| What a relief that they are opening a new daycare tomorrow! | ¡Qué alivio que abran una guardería nueva mañana! |
| How wonderful that they are improving the public facility! | ¡Qué maravilla que mejoren la instalación pública! |