Breakdown of Si queremos trabajar, encendemos la computadora.
la computadora
the computer
trabajar
to work
querer
to want
si
if
Questions & Answers about Si queremos trabajar, encendemos la computadora.
Why are both parts of this sentence in the present tense?
In Spanish, when talking about real conditions (things that actually happen or are routines), you use si (if) + the present tense. For the result, you can also use the present tense, like encendemos (we turn on) here. It translates to a general fact: if this first thing happens, this second thing happens.
I thought querer and encender were stem-changing verbs. Why aren't they quieremos and enciendemos?
You have a great memory! Both querer (to want) and encender (to turn on) are 'e to ie' stem-changing verbs (for example, yo quiero or ella enciende). However, the nosotros (we) form is a strict exception. In the present tense, the nosotros form never gets the stem change.
Why is trabajar not conjugated?
When two verbs go right next to each other to express a single idea, only the first one is conjugated. The second verb stays in its infinitive (unconjugated) form. Here, queremos is conjugated for 'we want', so trabajar (to work) just stays in its dictionary form.
Is computadora the word for 'computer' everywhere in the Spanish-speaking world?