Breakdown of Mi admirador deja un regalito con un halago sin que yo lo vea.
yo
I
un
a, an (masculine)
el regalo
the gift
ver
to see / to look / appear
mi
my
con
with
que
that / than
lo
it / him (direct object)
dejar
to stop / to leave (something behind)
sin
without
el admirador
the admirer
el halago
the compliment
Questions & Answers about Mi admirador deja un regalito con un halago sin que yo lo vea.
Why do we use sin que yo lo vea instead of just sin verlo?
When the person doing the first action is different from the person doing the second action, you must use sin que plus a conjugated verb. Here, the admirer leaves the gift, but "I" am the one not seeing him. If the same person were doing both actions (for example, "He leaves a gift without making a sound"), you would drop the que and use an infinitive verb.
Why is the verb vea in the subjunctive mood?
The phrase sin que (without) always triggers the subjunctive mood because it introduces an action that didn't actually happen or was avoided. Since the action of you seeing him did not occur, Spanish requires the subjunctive vea rather than the normal indicative veo.
What does the pronoun lo refer to in lo vea?
Does regalito just mean the gift is physically small?
It can, because it is the diminutive form of regalo (gift). However, adding the -ito ending is also a very common way to sound affectionate, modest, or casual, much like saying "a little something" in English.
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