Question 1

Why do we use si here to report the question?

Accepted Answer

In direct speech, the original question was a yes-or-no question: 'Is being faithful a necessary quality?' Whenever you report a yes/no question, you use si (which means 'if' or 'whether'), just like in English.

Question 2

Since they asked in the past (preguntaron), why is the second verb in the present tense (es)?

Accepted Answer

Usually, when the reporting verb is in the past, you shift the quoted present tense to the imperfect past (so es would become era). However, because 'being faithful is a necessary quality' is a general statement or universal truth that is still true now, Spanish often leaves it in the present tense (es).

Question 3

Why does the Spanish sentence use the infinitive ser for 'being' instead of the gerund siendo?

Accepted Answer

In English, we often use words ending in '-ing' as nouns (like 'being faithful' as the subject of the phrase). In Spanish, whenever an action acts as a noun, you must use the infinitive form. That's why it is ser fiel and never siendo fiel here.

Question 4

Does the word si have an accent mark when used in reported questions like this?

Accepted Answer

No, it doesn't. The unaccented si means 'if' or 'whether,' which connects the reported question perfectly. You only use the accented sí when you mean 'yes.'

Me preguntaron directamente si ser fiel es una cualidad necesaria.

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