Question 1

Why is it aprendan (subjunctive) instead of aprenden?

Accepted Answer

Fascinar is a verb of emotion. When you express an emotion about someone else doing something, Spanish requires the subjunctive mood in the second part of the sentence. Because we are reacting to what ustedes (you all) are doing, the verb aprender becomes aprendan.

Question 2

Why is the verb fascina singular when nos (us) is plural?

Accepted Answer

Fascinar works exactly like gustar. The pronoun nos tells us who is fascinated, but it isn't the subject. The actual subject of the verb is the entire action that follows: que ustedes aprendan el idioma. Since that entire phrase is treated as a single concept, the verb takes the singular form fascina.

Question 3

Can I just use the infinitive and say Nos fascina ustedes aprender?

Accepted Answer

No, because the person feeling the emotion (nos) is different from the person doing the action (ustedes). When there is a subject change like this with verbs of emotion, you must use que followed by a conjugated subjunctive verb. You would only use the infinitive if the subjects were the same, for example: Nos fascina aprender el idioma (We are fascinated to learn the language).

Question 4

Why is it el idioma? Doesn't the "-a" ending usually make it feminine?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but idioma is an exception. It is a masculine noun, which is why it uses el. Many Spanish words that end in "-ma" are masculine. Other common examples you might remember from earlier lessons are el problema, el tema, and el sistema.

Nos fascina que ustedes aprendan el idioma.

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