Breakdown of Cuando recibas el diploma, vamos a brindar.
recibir
to receive
ir
to go
cuando
when (statement)
el diploma
the diploma
brindar
to toast (with a drink)
Questions & Answers about Cuando recibas el diploma, vamos a brindar.
Why does the sentence use recibas instead of recibes?
Because you haven't received the diploma yet! When cuando introduces an action that is going to happen in the future, Spanish requires the subjunctive mood. Recibas is the present subjunctive form of recibir. If you used the normal present tense (cuando recibes), it would mean "whenever you receive," describing a regular habit rather than a specific future event.
Since this is about the future, could I say cuando recibirás?
No, Spanish never uses the future tense immediately after cuando. Even though English sometimes implies the future ("when you will receive"), Spanish uses the present subjunctive (cuando recibas) for the "when" part of the sentence. The other half of the sentence (vamos a brindar) is what sets the future timeframe.
Why is it el diploma? Doesn't it end in an "-a"?
Does brindar mean "to bring"?
It looks very similar, but it's a false friend! Brindar means "to toast" (raising your glasses to celebrate). If you wanted to say "to bring," you would use the verb traer.
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