ELONIO
Log inSign up

¿La altitud es más peligrosa de lo que los alpinistas creen?

¿La altitud es más peligrosa de lo que los alpinistas creen?
Is the altitude more dangerous than the mountain climbers believe?
From Lesson 278:Clausal comparatives with adjectives (más... de lo que)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about ¿La altitud es más peligrosa de lo que los alpinistas creen?

Why do we use 'de lo que' instead of just 'que' for 'than' in this sentence?
Normally, to say 'more than', you use más ... que (like when comparing two nouns). However, when you compare an adjective (peligrosa) to an entire clause with a conjugated verb (what the climbers believe), you must use más ... de lo que.
Is 'altitud' a feminine word? It doesn't end in '-a'.
Yes! Nouns ending in -ud, such as la altitud, la actitud, and la salud, are almost always feminine in Spanish. That is why it uses la and the feminine adjective peligrosa.
Why does 'alpinistas' use the masculine article 'los' if it ends in '-as'?
Nouns ending in the suffix -ista (like alpinista, artista, or turista) can be masculine or feminine depending on who you are talking about. When referring to a general or mixed-gender group of climbers, Spanish uses the masculine plural los alpinistas.
Why is 'creen' in the indicative and not the subjunctive?
In clausal comparatives like this, you use the indicative (creen) when referring to an established fact or reality. The sentence is comparing the actual altitude to the real, existing belief of the climbers, so no subjunctive is needed.

Learn ¿La altitud es más peligrosa de lo que los alpinistas creen 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
Start learning Spanish →