Manner Clauses for Unfolding Events
In a busy emergency room, situations change rapidly. You often need to give instructions or plan actions based on how events will unfold. To describe doing something "as" or "in the way that" something else happens, use the conjunctions según, conforme, or como.
- según: as, depending on how
- conforme: as, in accordance with / while
- como: as, the way that
Unknown or Future Manner (Subjunctive)
When these conjunctions describe an action whose exact manner is unknown or hasn't happened yet, the verb that follows them must be in the subjunctive mood.
If your main clause uses the future tense (like ir a + infinitive), the action in the manner clause is an anticipated event, so it requires the subjunctive.
| The nurse is going to admit the patients as they arrive at the hospital. | El enfermero va a ingresar a los pacientes conforme lleguen al hospital. |
| The nurse is going to prioritize the cases as the triage indicates. | La enfermera va a priorizar los casos según indique el triaje. |
| We are going to stabilize his vital condition as the surgeon suggests to us. | Vamos a estabilizar su estado vital como nos sugiera el cirujano. |
Commands and Obligations
You will also use the subjunctive after these conjunctions when giving commands or stating obligations (using phrases like deber or hay que). Because the command hasn't been carried out yet, the exact way it will happen is still unknown.
| Put him on the stretcher as the triage indicates. | Póngalo en la camilla como indique el triaje. |
| The nurse must monitor the pulse as she sees necessary. | La enfermera debe monitorear el pulso según vea necesario. |
| Stabilize the patient's pulse as you can. | Estabilice el pulso del paciente conforme pueda. |