Breakdown of Ella rogó que memorizaran el guion antes del rodaje.
ella
she
del
from the / of the
que
that / than
antes
before / earlier
rogar
to beg
memorizar
to memorize
el guion
the script
el rodaje
the shoot / the filming
Questions & Answers about Ella rogó que memorizaran el guion antes del rodaje.
Why do we use the imperfect subjunctive (memorizaran) here instead of an infinitive?
When reporting a request or command in Spanish, you can't just use an infinitive like in English ("begged them to memorize"). Instead, you use que followed by a conjugated verb. Because the main reporting verb (rogó) is in the past, the second verb must be in the past (imperfect) subjunctive: memorizaran.
How do we know she begged "them" if there is no word for "them" in the Spanish sentence?
The "them" is built right into the verb ending of memorizaran (they/you all). Spanish usually drops subject pronouns when the verb conjugation or the context makes it clear who is doing the action.
I know pedir means "to ask/request." How is rogar different?
Rogar is stronger than pedir. While pedir is an everyday request ("to ask for"), rogar means "to beg" or "to plead." Both verbs are treated as commands/requests, meaning they both trigger the subjunctive when you are asking someone else to do an action.
Doesn't the word guion usually have an accent mark over the 'o'?
It used to! But in 2010, the official Spanish spelling rules were updated. Guion is considered a single syllable, and one-syllable words don't get accent marks unless needed to distinguish them from another word. You might still see guión in older texts, but guion is the modern standard.
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