Breakdown of ¡Qué barbaridad que clausuren la biblioteca vieja!
viejo
old
qué
what
la biblioteca
library
que
that / than
la barbaridad
outrage / nonsense
clausurar
to close down
Questions & Answers about ¡Qué barbaridad que clausuren la biblioteca vieja!
Why do we use the subjunctive clausuren here instead of the indicative clausuran?
The phrase ¡Qué barbaridad que... expresses a strong emotion or personal judgment about an event. In Spanish, when you evaluate or react to a situation using a structure like ¡Qué + noun/adjective + que, it triggers the subjunctive in the clause that follows.
What exactly does barbaridad mean? Is it like "barbarity"?
Literally, yes, but its everyday use is much broader. ¡Qué barbaridad! is a very common exclamation used to express shock, outrage ("What an outrage!"), or dismay ("How awful!"). Depending on the tone, it can even express amazement ("Wow!"). Here, it shows strong disapproval.
Who is the "they" doing the closing in clausuren?
Could I just use the verb cerrar (to close) here instead of clausurar?
Yes, you could definitely say que cierren and it would be perfectly understood. However, clausurar is a stronger, more specific word often used for permanently shutting down or decommissioning institutions, businesses, or buildings. It fits the context of an old library perfectly.
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