Breakdown of Cuando mi suegra vaya a la playa, descanso un ratito.
un
a, an (masculine)
mi
my
descansar
to rest
ir
to go
a
to
la playa
the beach
cuando
when (statement)
el rato
the while (period of time)
la suegra
the mother-in-law
Questions & Answers about Cuando mi suegra vaya a la playa, descanso un ratito.
Why do we use vaya instead of va here?
This is the main rule of your current lesson! Because the mother-in-law going to the beach is a future event that hasn't happened yet, we must use the subjunctive mood after cuando. So, we use vaya instead of the normal present tense va.
Which verb does vaya come from?
It is the present subjunctive form of ir (to go) for ella (she, referring to mi suegra). The verb ir is very irregular, which is why its subjunctive form looks completely different from the infinitive.
The translation says "I will rest," but isn't descanso the present tense?
Yes, descanso literally means "I rest." In Spanish, the present tense is frequently used to talk about the near or certain future. You could also say voy a descansar (I am going to rest), but using the present tense here is very common and sounds natural.
What is a ratito?
It comes from the word rato, which means "a while" or "a bit of time." By adding the common ending -ito, we make it smaller (a diminutive). So, un ratito just means "a little while."
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