Breakdown of Es importante que el pasaporte extranjero tenga la firma.
ser
to be
tener
to have
importante
important
que
that / than
la firma
the signature
el pasaporte
passport
extranjero
foreign
Questions & Answers about Es importante que el pasaporte extranjero tenga la firma.
Why is it tenga instead of tiene?
Tenga is the present subjunctive form of tener. We use the subjunctive here because the sentence starts with Es importante que (It is important that). Expressions that state a necessity, rule, or opinion rather than a simple fact trigger the subjunctive in the second part of the sentence.
How do we get the form tenga from tener?
To find the present subjunctive of irregular verbs like tener, start with the normal present tense 'yo' (I) form: tengo. Drop the -o, and add the 'opposite' vowel ending. Since tener is an -er verb, it uses -ar endings in the subjunctive (-a, -as, -a, -amos, -an). Because the passport (el pasaporte) is an 'it', we use the -a ending, giving us tenga.
Does firma mean 'firm' or 'company'?
It looks like it, but no! Firma is a 'false friend' that actually means 'signature'. If you want to talk about a business firm or company, you would use a word like empresa or compañía.
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