Cuando la mosca vuelva a volar, vamos a salir del cuarto.

Questions & Answers about Cuando la mosca vuelva a volar, vamos a salir del cuarto.

Why do we use the subjunctive vuelva here instead of the indicative vuelve?
The word cuando triggers the subjunctive when we are talking about an action in the future that hasn't happened yet. Because we are waiting for the fly to take flight in the future, we use vuelva. If we were talking about a routine (Whenever the fly flies, we leave), we would use the indicative vuelve.
Where does the meaning "again" come from in vuelva a volar?
The verb volver literally means to return, but when you use the formula volver a plus an infinitive verb, it means to do that action again. Therefore, volver a volar translates to "to fly again."
Could I use the future tense saldremos instead of vamos a salir?
Yes, both are completely fine! The phrase vamos a salir (we are going to leave) is very popular in spoken Latin American Spanish for plans or near-future events. Saying saldremos (we will leave) works perfectly too and keeps the exact same meaning.
Why does the sentence use del cuarto instead of de el cuarto?
Whenever the preposition de (of/from) is followed by the masculine article el (the), they must merge to form the contraction del. It is a mandatory rule in Spanish to write and say del cuarto (from the room) instead of de el cuarto.

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