Breakdown of El enchufe es mío, pero puedes usarlo mientras no rompas mi cable.
ser
to be
pero
but
no
no, not
mi
my
usar
to use / to wear
poder
to be able to / can
lo
it / him (direct object)
romper
to break
mío
mine
mientras
while / the more/less (in proportional comparisons) / as long as
el cable
the cable
el enchufe
the plug
Questions & Answers about El enchufe es mío, pero puedes usarlo mientras no rompas mi cable.
Why is rompas in the subjunctive here?
Because mientras is being used to set a future condition, meaning 'as long as' or 'provided that'. Since breaking the cable is a hypothetical future event that hasn't happened, it requires the subjunctive rompas. If you used the regular indicative rompes, it would mean 'while you are currently not breaking'.
I thought mientras meant 'while'. Does it also mean 'as long as'?
Yes! When mientras is followed by the regular indicative mood, it usually means 'while' to describe two things happening at the exact same time. However, when paired with the subjunctive like in mientras no rompas, it sets a condition for something to happen in the future, which translates perfectly to 'as long as'.
Why is the pronoun lo attached to the end of usar?
The word lo means 'it' and refers back to el enchufe (the plug). Because usar is an infinitive (an unconjugated verb), you can attach the pronoun directly to the end of it to make usarlo. You could also place it before the conjugated verb puedes, making the phrase lo puedes usar. Both options are completely natural and correct.
Why does mío have an accent mark, but mi (in mi cable) doesn't?
The pronoun mío (mine) needs an accent over the 'i' to show that it is pronounced as two separate syllables, rather than blending into one. The word mi (my) is just one syllable and doesn't need an accent mark here. Note that mí with an accent also exists, but it means 'me' and is used after prepositions.
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