Breakdown of Tomen la precaución de salir apenas escuchen ese ruido.
de
from / of
escuchar
to listen
ese
that (masculine)
salir
to go out / to leave
el ruido
the noise
tomar
to take / to drink
apenas
barely
la precaución
precaution
Questions & Answers about Tomen la precaución de salir apenas escuchen ese ruido.
Why is escuchen in the subjunctive instead of the indicative (escuchan)?
The word apenas means 'as soon as'. When it introduces an action that hasn't happened yet (like hearing the noise in the future), it triggers the subjunctive. If this sentence were describing a routine, like 'You always leave as soon as you hear that noise', you would use the indicative (escuchan).
What form is tomen in this sentence?
It is the imperative (command) form for ustedes (you all). The speaker is giving a direct instruction to a group of people to take precaution.
Why do we use the infinitive salir instead of conjugating it like que salgan?
Because the people taking the precaution are the exact same people who will be leaving. When there is no change of subject, Spanish typically uses a preposition followed directly by the infinitive, giving us de salir.
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