Learn Spanish (Latin America): Aunque llueva, él puede prender el fuego con este fósforo. - Even if it rains, he can light the fire with this match.

Aunque llueva, él puede prender el fuego con este fósforo.

Even if it rains, he can light the fire with this match.

Breakdown of Aunque llueva, él puede prender el fuego con este fósforo.

Questions & Answers about Aunque llueva, él puede prender el fuego con este fósforo.

Why is llueva in the subjunctive here instead of the indicative llueve?

Because the sentence talks about a hypothetical situation (even if it rains), not a confirmed fact. When aunque means 'even if' (a condition that hasn't happened yet or might not happen), it triggers the subjunctive. If it were a stated fact meaning 'even though it is raining', we would use the indicative llueve.

I have seen the word cerilla for match before. Why does this sentence use fósforo?

They both mean match, but fósforo is the standard and much more common word in Latin America. Cerilla is typically used in Spain.

Why use prender instead of encender for lighting the fire?

Both prender and encender mean to light or to turn on. In Latin America, prender is extremely common for lighting a fire, striking a match, or turning on a device. You could absolutely say encender el fuego here too without changing the meaning.

Do we have to include the pronoun él before puede?

No, it is optional. You could just say puede prender el fuego if the context already makes it clear who is acting. Including él here simply adds a bit of emphasis, pointing out that he specifically has the ability to do it.