Breakdown of Hay que solicitar el documento que tiene el cónsul.
tener
to have
el documento
the document
que
that / than
hay que
(with que) one has to / must
el cónsul
the consul
solicitar
to request
Questions & Answers about Hay que solicitar el documento que tiene el cónsul.
Why is it tiene and not the subjunctive tenga here?
Because we are talking about a specific, existing document that the consul definitely has (el documento). We use the indicative tiene for facts and real things. If we were looking for any document that the consul might have, we would use the subjunctive: un documento que tenga el cónsul.
Why is the word order que tiene el cónsul instead of que el cónsul tiene?
Could I use pedir instead of solicitar?
Yes, but solicitar is a better fit here. Both mean to ask for, but solicitar is more formal, translating closer to to request or to apply for. Since this sentence involves a consul and official paperwork, the formal word sounds much better.
I remember hay, but what does hay que mean?
Hay means there is or there are, but when you add que and an infinitive verb (like solicitar), it changes meaning entirely. Hay que means one must or it is necessary to. It is used when a rule or need applies to people in general, rather than one specific person.
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