Breakdown of Es justo que él comprenda los gastos básicos.
ser
to be
él
he
comprender
to understand
que
that / than
justo
fair / just
el gasto
the expense
básico
basic
Questions & Answers about Es justo que él comprenda los gastos básicos.
Why is it comprenda and not comprende?
Because the sentence starts with the opinion phrase es justo que (it is fair that), which requires the subjunctive mood. To form the present subjunctive for a regular -er verb like comprender, you use the opposite vowel. The normal -e ending changes to an -a, making it él comprenda.
Does es justo que always trigger the subjunctive?
Yes! Expressions that state an opinion, emotion, or value judgment (like it is fair, good, bad, or important) followed by que trigger the subjunctive. You only use the normal indicative mood if the phrase states a pure certainty or fact, like es verdad que (it is true that).
Why is the pronoun él included if Spanish usually drops pronouns?
In the present subjunctive, the verb forms for yo (I) and él/ella/usted (he/she/you formal) are identical. Because comprenda could mean that I, he, she, or you understand, adding él makes it completely clear who is doing the action in this sentence.
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