Breakdown of El trabajo es estresante, de ahí que el descanso mental sea esencial.
ser
to be
de
from / of
el trabajo
work
que
that / than
esencial
essential
ahí
there (near you)
estresante
stressful
el descanso
rest
mental
mental
Questions & Answers about El trabajo es estresante, de ahí que el descanso mental sea esencial.
Why is sea in the subjunctive here instead of the indicative es?
The phrase de ahí que (meaning 'hence' or 'that's why') is a consecutive connector that always triggers the subjunctive in the clause that follows it. Even though it states a concrete fact (mental rest actually is essential), this specific connector strictly forces the use of the subjunctive sea.
Why do we use the present subjunctive (sea) here instead of the imperfect subjunctive?
The tense of the subjunctive clause needs to logically align with the main clause. Because the first part of the sentence is in the present tense (es estresante), we use the present subjunctive (sea). If the work were stressful in the past (era estresante), we would use the imperfect subjunctive (fuera).
If I wanted to use por eso instead of de ahí que, would the rest of the sentence stay the same?
No, the grammar would change. While por eso also means 'that's why' or 'for that reason', it is followed by the indicative mood. You would say: El trabajo es estresante, por eso el descanso mental es esencial. The phrase de ahí que is a bit more formal, much like 'hence', and strictly requires the subjunctive.
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