Cuando mi hijo se case, invito a mi suegra.
When my son gets married, I will invite my mother-in-law.
Breakdown of Cuando mi hijo se case, invito a mi suegra.
el hijo
the son
mi
my
invitar
to invite
cuando
when (statement)
casarse
to get married
la suegra
the mother-in-law
a
personal 'a' (marks a human direct object)
Questions & Answers about Cuando mi hijo se case, invito a mi suegra.
Why is it case instead of casa?
Because the wedding hasn't happened yet! In Spanish, when you use cuando (when) to talk about a future event, you must use the subjunctive mood. So, the normal present tense casa becomes the subjunctive case.
Why is there a se before case?
The verb for "to get married" is the reflexive verb casarse. If you just use casar without the reflexive pronoun (se for he/she), it means to perform the marriage ceremony, like a judge or priest does. To say your son is the one getting married, you need the se.
Why is invito in the present tense if the translation says "I will invite"?
In Spanish, you can often use the present tense to talk about future actions, especially if you are certain they will happen or are stating a firm plan. You could also say voy a invitar (I am going to invite), but invito is short and perfectly natural here.
What is the a doing in invito a mi suegra?
This is the "personal a." In Spanish, whenever the direct object of a verb is a person, you must put an a right before it. Since your mother-in-law (mi suegra) is a person, you have to include it!
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