Breakdown of Es el jefe para quien trabajo siempre que modifique el contrato.
ser
to be
trabajar
to work
para
for
que
that / than
el jefe
the boss
el contrato
contract
quien
whom / who (relative singular)
siempre que
as long as / provided that
modificar
to modify / to change (alter)
Questions & Answers about Es el jefe para quien trabajo siempre que modifique el contrato.
Why is modifique in the subjunctive here instead of the indicative?
Siempre que means "provided that" or "as long as" in this sentence, setting up a strict condition for an action. When siempre que is used to express a condition like this, it always requires the subjunctive.
Doesn't siempre que usually mean "whenever" or "every time"?
Yes, it can! The meaning changes depending on the verb that follows it. If you use the normal indicative mood (siempre que modifica), it means a habitual "every time he modifies." But paired with the subjunctive (siempre que modifique), it becomes the conditional "provided that" or "as long as."
Why is it para quien and not just para que?
When a relative pronoun comes right after a preposition (like para, de, or con) and refers to a person, you must use quien or quienes. Since we are talking about the boss, we use para quien (for whom).
How do we know who is modifying the contract, since modifique could be the "I" or "he" form?
We rely on context. In the present subjunctive, the yo and él/ella/usted forms are identical. Here, it makes logical sense that the speaker works on the condition that the boss modifies the contract. If it were ambiguous, you could add the pronoun: siempre que él modifique.
Why is there a "qu" in modifique instead of a "c" like in the infinitive modificar?
This is a spelling change to preserve the pronunciation. The infinitive modificar has a hard "k" sound. In Spanish, a "c" before an "e" makes an "s" sound. Changing the spelling to "qu" keeps the hard "k" sound for the subjunctive form.
Learn Es el jefe para quien trabajo siempre que modifique el contrato 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