Breakdown of Nos pidieron que acatáramos cada pauta del contrato.
del
from the / of the
pedir
to ask for / to order
que
that / than
nos
to us
Questions & Answers about Nos pidieron que acatáramos cada pauta del contrato.
Why is acatáramos in the past (imperfect) subjunctive here?
Could we just use the infinitive and say Nos pidieron acatar to match the English 'asked us to comply'?
While English uses the infinitive ('to comply'), Spanish strongly prefers que plus the subjunctive when there is a change of subject. Since 'they' are doing the asking and 'we' are doing the complying, que acatáramos is the standard and most natural structure after pedir.
Why use acatar instead of a more common verb like cumplir?
Why does acatáramos have a written accent mark?
In the imperfect subjunctive, the first-person plural ('we' form) always requires a written accent on the vowel immediately before the ending. This keeps the spoken stress on the correct syllable, maintaining the natural rhythm of the word.