Breakdown of Acabamos de pedir el permiso para que nos garanticen el espacio.
para
for
pedir
to ask for / to order
que
that / than
nos
to us
el espacio
space
acabar de
to have just
el permiso
the permission
garantizar
to guarantee
Questions & Answers about Acabamos de pedir el permiso para que nos garanticen el espacio.
Why is garanticen in the subjunctive here?
The phrase para que (so that) introduces a purpose clause. In Spanish, para que always requires the subjunctive because it expresses a goal or an intended outcome, which is not yet a reality. Here, garanticen is the present subjunctive form of garantizar (to guarantee).
Could I just say para garantizarnos instead of para que nos garanticen?
You would only use para + infinitive (like para garantizarnos) if the subject doing both actions is the same. Here, we are requesting the permission, but they are guaranteeing the space. Because there is a change in subject between the two halves of the sentence, you must use para que followed by the subjunctive.
Why is garanticen spelled with a c instead of a z like in its infinitive form garantizar?
This is a mandatory spelling rule in Spanish. When a verb ends in -zar, the z changes to a c before the letter e. Since the present subjunctive endings for -ar verbs start with an e, the base of garantizar becomes garantic- before adding the -en ending for the "they" form.
I know acabar usually means "to finish." Why does it mean "We just requested" here?
When you use the set phrase acabar de followed by an infinitive verb, it means "to have just done something." Therefore, acabamos de pedir translates perfectly to "we just requested" or "we have just asked for."
Could we attach the nos to the end of the verb, like garantícennos?
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