Breakdown of Esperábamos que apoyaras la causa con todo cuanto tuvieras.
tener
to have
con
with
esperar
to wait / to hope / to expect
que
that / than
todo
all / everything
apoyar
to support
cuanto
all that / as much as (relative) / the more/less (in proportional comparisons)
la causa
cause
Questions & Answers about Esperábamos que apoyaras la causa con todo cuanto tuvieras.
Why do we use the subjunctive tuvieras after todo cuanto?
We use the subjunctive here because the exact amount you had was unknown or hypothetical at the time we were hoping. If we were stating a known fact about the past (like 'you supported it with everything you actually had'), we would use the indicative: apoyaste la causa con todo cuanto tenías.
What is the difference between saying todo cuanto and todo lo que?
They mean exactly the same thing in this context: 'everything that' or 'all that.' Todo cuanto sounds slightly more formal or literary. In everyday spoken Spanish, you will usually hear todo lo que, but todo cuanto is common enough that you need to be able to recognize it.
Why is apoyaras in the imperfect subjunctive rather than the present subjunctive?
The main verb, Esperábamos (we hoped), is in the past, and verbs expressing hopes or desires trigger the subjunctive. To keep the timeline consistent, a past-tense trigger requires a past-tense subjunctive in the dependent clause.
Does cuanto need to agree in gender and number here?
Can I drop todo and just say con cuanto tuvieras?
Yes! The word cuanto on its own can mean 'all that' or 'everything that.' Adding todo in front of it simply emphasizes the 'everything' aspect, similar to saying 'with absolutely everything you had' in English.
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