Learn Spanish (Latin America): Caminen hacia la salida apenas suene la sirena. - Walk toward the exit as soon as the siren sounds.

Caminen hacia la salida apenas suene la sirena.

Walk toward the exit as soon as the siren sounds.

Breakdown of Caminen hacia la salida apenas suene la sirena.

Questions & Answers about Caminen hacia la salida apenas suene la sirena.

Why is suene in the subjunctive here instead of the indicative?

The word apenas means 'as soon as' in this context. Because the action of the siren sounding hasn't happened yet (it is an anticipated, future event), it triggers the subjunctive suene instead of the indicative suena.

Doesn't apenas usually mean 'barely' or 'hardly'?

It can! However, when used to connect two actions like it does here, it usually translates to 'as soon as'. You can think of it as meaning 'barely a second after the siren sounds'.

Who is the command caminen directed at?

Caminen is the ustedes (you all) command form of caminar (to walk). The speaker is instructing a group of people to walk toward the exit.

Why does the verb suene come before its subject la sirena?

In Spanish, it is very common to put the verb before the subject in dependent clauses, especially after time markers like apenas or cuando. Saying apenas suene la sirena sounds much more natural than apenas la sirena suene.