Breakdown of Es increíble que los trenes modernos no contaminen la ciudad.
ser
to be
no
no, not
los
the (masculine plural)
la ciudad
the city
Questions & Answers about Es increíble que los trenes modernos no contaminen la ciudad.
Why is the verb contaminen instead of contaminan?
The phrase Es increíble que expresses a strong opinion or emotional reaction. In Spanish, when you use a phrase like this in the main clause, the verb in the following clause (after que) must be in the subjunctive mood. So, the indicative contaminan becomes the subjunctive contaminen.
How do I form this subjunctive verb, contaminen?
To form the present subjunctive for most verbs, you take the 'yo' form of the present tense, drop the -o, and add the opposite endings. For -ar verbs like contaminar, you use the -er and -ir endings. So the ellos ending becomes -en, giving us contaminen.
Why do we say los trenes modernos when the English translation just says 'modern trains'?
In English, we often drop the word 'the' when talking about things in a general sense. In Spanish, when a noun is the subject of the sentence or represents a general category, you generally must include the definite article (el, la, los, or las).
How could I use en cambio to add a contrast to this sentence?