ELONIO
Log inSign up

El hombre se siente superior y nos trata como si fuéramos sus mayordomos.

El hombre se siente superior y nos trata como si fuéramos sus mayordomos.
The man feels superior and treats us as if we were his butlers.
From Lesson 187:Hypothetical comparisons (como si)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about El hombre se siente superior y nos trata como si fuéramos sus mayordomos.

Why do we use fuéramos here instead of the present tense somos?
The phrase como si (as if) sets up a hypothetical or unreal situation. In Spanish, como si is always followed by the imperfect subjunctive tense, which is fuéramos here. We use this past subjunctive form even when talking about how he treats us right now in the present.
Wait, doesn't fuéramos also mean "we went"?
Yes! The imperfect subjunctive forms for ser (to be) and ir (to go) are completely identical. You have to rely on context to tell them apart. Since "as if we went his butlers" makes no sense here, it has to be ser.
Why does the sentence use se siente instead of just siente?
We use the reflexive verb sentirse to describe how a person feels physically or emotionally (in this case, superior). The non-reflexive sentir is generally used when you feel something, like a noun (for example, siente dolor means "he feels pain").
Why is it sus mayordomos when the sentence is only talking about one man?
In Spanish, possessive adjectives must match the thing being owned in number, not the owner. Because mayordomos (butlers) is plural, the possessive must be the plural sus, even though the "owner" (the man) is singular.

Learn El hombre se siente superior y nos trata como si fuéramos sus mayordomos 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
Start learning Spanish →