Breakdown of Uno protege el honor siempre que defienda la escuela.
la escuela
school
proteger
to protect
siempre que
as long as / provided that
uno
one (impersonal, people in general)
el honor
honor
defender
to defend
Questions & Answers about Uno protege el honor siempre que defienda la escuela.
Why do we use Uno here instead of a general "you" or "we"?
Why is there an el before honor?
In Spanish, abstract concepts and nouns used in a general sense require a definite article (el, la, los, las). Because this sentence refers to the general concept of honor rather than a specific instance, it must be el honor.
Does siempre que literally mean "always that"?
Literally yes, but it translates to "as long as" or "provided that" when setting a condition, which is what's happening in this sentence. It can also mean "whenever" or "every time that" in other contexts.
Why is the verb defienda in the subjunctive mood here?
The conjunction siempre que triggers the subjunctive when it means "as long as" or "provided that." It introduces a requirement or a condition that might or might not be fulfilled. Because this condition is hypothetical, we need the subjunctive defienda.
Why does defienda have an "ie" in the middle instead of just an "e"?
The verb defender (to defend) is an "e-to-ie" stem-changing verb. This vowel change carries over into the present subjunctive for the singular forms and the third-person plural, just like it does in the present indicative tense.
Learn Uno protege el honor siempre que defienda la escuela 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