Breakdown of Como intentes evadir la auditoría, vas a ir a prisión.
ir
to go
a
to
intentar
to try
la prisión
the prison
como
if (as a warning/threat)
evadir
to evade
la auditoría
the audit
Questions & Answers about Como intentes evadir la auditoría, vas a ir a prisión.
Why is como used here instead of si to mean "if"?
In Spanish, you can use como followed by the present subjunctive (like intentes) to express a condition that is specifically a warning or a threat. It gives the feeling of "If you even try to..." or "If you dare to...". If you used si, you would use the normal present tense instead: Si intentas evadir..., which sounds like a much more neutral "if" statement.
Why is the verb intentes in the subjunctive mood?
Whenever you use como to set up a warning or threatening condition, grammatical rules require it to be followed by the subjunctive mood. Since the speaker is threatening the listener with prison time, como triggers the present subjunctive form of intentar, which is intentes.
Why isn't there a preposition like a or de between intentes and evadir?
The verb intentar (to try) connects directly to the following infinitive verb (evadir) without needing any preposition. This is a helpful pattern to memorize, especially since a very similar verb, tratar (to try), always requires the preposition de before an infinitive, as in trates de evadir.
Why does it say a prisión instead of a la prisión?
Just like in English where we say "go to prison" instead of "go to the prison" when talking about serving time as a punishment, Spanish drops the definite article (la) in set phrases like ir a prisión or estar en prisión.
Learn Como intentes evadir la auditoría, vas a ir a prisión 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