Question 1

Why does the sentence use the indicative 'estaba' after 'como'? Doesn't 'como' sometimes trigger the subjunctive?

Accepted Answer

When como is placed at the very beginning of a sentence to mean 'as' or 'since' (giving a reason), it always takes the indicative mood. Here, estaba is used because it states a factual cause, not a doubt or a hypothetical situation.

Question 2

Could I start this sentence with 'Porque' instead of 'Como'?

Accepted Answer

No, it sounds unnatural in Spanish to start a sentence with porque to establish a cause. When the reason comes before the main action, you should use como. If you wanted to use porque, you would flip the sentence order: El capitán decidió abortar la misión porque el clima estaba inestable.

Question 3

Why use 'estaba' instead of 'era' for the weather?

Accepted Answer

We use estaba (from estar) because the instability was a temporary condition at that specific moment. If you used era (from ser), it would imply that the climate of that area is permanently unpredictable.

Question 4

Is there a reason why there isn't a preposition like 'a' or 'de' between 'decidió' and 'abortar'?

Accepted Answer

The verb decidir connects directly to a following infinitive verb. Unlike verbs like empezar (which needs a) or tratar (which needs de), decidir doesn't require a prepositional bridge word.

Question 5

I learned 'el tiempo' means weather. Can I use that instead of 'el clima' here?

Accepted Answer

Yes! While technically el clima translates to 'climate', it is widely used in everyday Latin American Spanish to talk about the daily weather. Using el tiempo would also be perfectly natural and correct here.

Como el clima estaba inestable, el capitán decidió abortar la misión.

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