Breakdown of Es probable que él apruebe la medida.
ser
to be
él
he
que
that / than
aprobar
to approve
probable
probable / likely
la medida
the measure / the step
Questions & Answers about Es probable que él apruebe la medida.
Why is the verb apruebe instead of aprueba?
The phrase es probable que (it is probable that) is an impersonal expression that shows probability. In Spanish, whenever you use es plus an adjective plus que to express this kind of uncertainty, opinion, or valuation, the following verb must be in the present subjunctive mood. That is why we use apruebe instead of the regular present tense aprueba.
Why is there an 'ue' in apruebe if the infinitive is aprobar?
Aprobar is a stem-changing verb where the letter 'o' changes to 'ue'. This stem change happens in the present subjunctive just like it does in the regular present tense. So, just as you say él aprueba normally, the stem keeps that 'ue' to become apruebe in the subjunctive.
Why do we include the pronoun él here? Isn't it usually dropped?
While subject pronouns are often dropped in Spanish, they are frequently kept in the subjunctive to avoid confusion. In the present subjunctive, the forms for 'I' (yo) and 'he/she/you formal' (él/ella/usted) are exactly the same: apruebe. Adding él makes it completely clear who is approving the measure.
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