Breakdown of Ella quería que financiáramos el nuevo mural.
ella
she
nuevo
new
querer
to want
que
that / than
financiar
to fund
el mural
the mural
Questions & Answers about Ella quería que financiáramos el nuevo mural.
Why is this sentence using the imperfect subjunctive (financiáramos) instead of the present subjunctive?
The main verb, quería, expresses a wish or desire in the past tense (the imperfect). Because the "trigger" verb is in the past, the subjunctive verb that follows it must also be in the past. That's why we use the imperfect subjunctive financiáramos instead of the present subjunctive financiemos.
How exactly is financiáramos formed from the preterite tense?
To get the imperfect subjunctive stem, you always start with the "they" form of the past preterite. For the verb financiar, that is financiaron (they funded). You drop the -ron at the end to get your stem: financia-. Finally, add the "we" ending for the imperfect subjunctive, which is -ramos, to get financiáramos.
Why does financiáramos have an accent mark on the letter 'a'?
In the imperfect subjunctive, the "we" form always requires a written accent on the vowel immediately right before the -ramos ending. This forces the spoken stress to stay on the correct syllable. If we didn't add the accent mark, the rules of Spanish pronunciation would naturally pull the stress onto the second-to-last syllable (ra), which would sound incorrect.
Why does nuevo come before mural instead of after it?
When the adjective nuevo is placed before a noun, it usually means "another" or "newly acquired" (like a replacement for an old mural). If it were placed after the noun, as in el mural nuevo, it would emphasize that the mural is brand new in its physical condition. Both would make sense here, but putting it before the noun is a very common way to say "the new one."
Learn Ella quería que financiáramos el nuevo mural and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free