Breakdown of Deben empezar el protocolo apenas lleguen aquí.
aquí
here
llegar
to arrive
empezar
to start / to begin
deber
must / should
Questions & Answers about Deben empezar el protocolo apenas lleguen aquí.
Why is lleguen in the subjunctive rather than the indicative llegan?
The word apenas means 'as soon as' here. When a time word like apenas introduces an action that hasn't happened yet (a future event), Spanish requires the subjunctive. Since you haven't arrived yet, lleguen must be in the present subjunctive.
What would it mean if I used the indicative and said apenas llegan aquí?
If you use the indicative after apenas, it describes a habitual action or a completed fact. So, apenas llegan aquí would mean 'as soon as you (usually) arrive here.' That wouldn't make sense with the first part of the sentence giving a direct instruction about a specific future event.
How do we know who Deben and lleguen refer to? The translation says 'You' but the verb endings look like 'they'.
I thought apenas meant 'barely' or 'hardly.' How do I know it means 'as soon as' here?