Breakdown of Cuando me gradúe, voy a buscar un trabajo.
un
a, an (masculine)
ir
to go
el trabajo
the work
buscar
to look for
cuando
when (statement)
graduarse
to graduate
Questions & Answers about Cuando me gradúe, voy a buscar un trabajo.
Why does this sentence use gradúe instead of gradúo?
This is the main rule for this lesson! When you use cuando (when) to talk about an event that hasn't happened yet, Spanish requires the subjunctive mood. Since you haven't graduated yet, you use the subjunctive gradúe. If you were talking about a regular habit, like saying "Whenever I graduate from a course, I celebrate," you would use the regular present tense gradúo.
Why is there an accent mark on the 'u' in gradúe?
The verb is graduarse. When conjugated in the present tense or present subjunctive, the spoken stress falls on the letter 'u'. To prevent the 'u' and 'e' from blending into a single syllable, Spanish uses an accent mark to show that the 'u' is pronounced strongly on its own as a separate syllable: gra-dú-e.
Why is there a me before the verb? Can I just say "Cuando gradúe"?
In Spanish, the verb for "to graduate" is reflexive: graduarse. You need the reflexive pronoun me to match the "I" form. Without the me, it sounds incomplete, as if you are giving a diploma to someone else instead of graduating yourself.
Why does the second half of the sentence use the normal tense (voy) instead of the subjunctive?
The subjunctive is only triggered inside the time clause itself, which is the part starting with cuando. The main action of your sentence, which is what you are actually going to do, uses the normal ir a plus infinitive structure (voy a buscar). You are stating your concrete future plan, so that main part does not take the subjunctive.
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