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¿Estornudas cuando estás con gatos porque tienes alergia?

¿Estornudas cuando estás con gatos porque tienes alergia?
Do you sneeze when you are with cats because you have an allergy?
From Lesson 118:Present habits with when (cuando)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about ¿Estornudas cuando estás con gatos porque tienes alergia?

Why do we use the present tense estás right after cuando here?
In Spanish, when you use cuando (when) to talk about a habit, a routine, or a general fact, you follow it with the normal present tense. Because sneezing around cats is a recurring situation here, cuando estás translates to 'whenever you are.'
Why does this sentence use estás instead of eres for 'you are'?
The verb estar is used for physical locations and temporary situations. Since being with cats is a temporary location or situation you find yourself in, estás is the correct verb. Ser would be used for permanent identities.
Why doesn't the sentence say tú estornudas or tú tienes?
Spanish normally drops subject pronouns like tú (you) because the verb endings already make it clear who the subject is. The verbs estornudas, estás, and tienes all end in -s, which tells us right away that the subject is the informal 'you.'
In English, we often say 'because you have allergies' in the plural. Why does this use the singular alergia?
When talking about the general medical condition of being allergic to something, Spanish typically uses the singular phrase tener alergia. It literally means 'to have allergy,' but it translates perfectly to the English idea of having an allergy or having allergies in general.

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