Question 1

Why do we use the past perfect subjunctive (hubiera sido) in the first half but the simple conditional (tendríamos) in the second half?

Accepted Answer

This is a mixed conditional. It connects a condition in the past that didn't happen (if the management had been better) with its result in the present (we wouldn't have this problem now). You use the past perfect subjunctive (hubiera sido) for the unreal past condition, and the simple conditional (tendríamos) for the current hypothetical result.

Question 2

Could I use hubiese sido instead of hubiera sido here?

Accepted Answer

Yes, hubiese sido is grammatically identical to hubiera sido. However, in Latin America, the -ra form (hubiera) is much more common in everyday speech than the -se form (hubiese), which can sound a bit more formal or literary.

Question 3

What exactly does gestión mean in this context? Can I use it to refer to the team of managers?

Accepted Answer

Gestión refers to management in the sense of administration, handling a process, or running a project. If you are talking about the management as a group of people (the managers themselves), it is better to use la gerencia or la dirección.

Question 4

Why is it este problema and not esta problema when the word ends in an A?

Accepted Answer

Problema is a masculine noun despite ending in -a, so it requires the masculine demonstrative adjective este. This is a quick reminder that many Greek-origin words ending in -ma, such as el clima, el sistema, and el idioma, are always masculine.

Si la gestión hubiera sido mejor, no tendríamos este problema.

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