Breakdown of Aunque me orientan, no sé dónde especializarme.
no
no, not
dónde
where
saber
to know (facts) / to hear from (someone)
me
to me / me (direct object)
aunque
although / even though
orientar
to guide / to orient
especializarse
to specialize
Questions & Answers about Aunque me orientan, no sé dónde especializarme.
Why is especializarme in the infinitive instead of conjugated like dónde me especializo?
When an indirect question has the same subject as the main verb, Spanish pairs the question word (dónde) with an infinitive. Since the person who doesn't know (no sé) is the same person who will specialize, we use the infinitive especializar instead of conjugating it.
Why is the pronoun me attached to the end of especializar?
The verb especializarse (to specialize) is reflexive in Spanish. When a verb is in its infinitive form, reflexive pronouns like me must be attached directly to the end of the word, creating especializarme.
Why is orientan in the indicative mood rather than the subjunctive?
The word aunque can trigger either the indicative or the subjunctive depending on what you want to say. Because orientan is indicative, the speaker is stating a known fact: 'Although they are currently guiding me.' If they had used the subjunctive (Aunque me orienten), it would mean the hypothetical 'Even if they guide me.'
Why does dónde have an accent mark if there are no question marks in the sentence?
Question words like dónde, qué, and cómo always keep their written accent marks when they are used in indirect questions, which is exactly what is happening in the second half of this sentence.
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