Question 1

Why use la cual here instead of just que?

Accepted Answer

After most prepositions, especially multi-syllable ones like hacia, you can't use just que. You need a complex relative pronoun to mean "which." Because la sede is feminine singular, you use la cual. You could also use la que here, though la cual sounds just a little bit more formal or precise.

Question 2

Can I translate the English phrasing directly and put hacia at the end of the sentence?

Accepted Answer

No, in Spanish you can never end a sentence or a clause with a preposition. While in English we often say "the headquarters we are walking towards," Spanish strictly requires the formal structure "the headquarters towards which we walk" (la sede hacia la cual caminamos).

Question 3

Why is the verb ser in the subjunctive here (sea)?

Accepted Answer

The sentence starts with Dudo que (I doubt that). Expressing doubt or denial always triggers the subjunctive mood in the clause that follows it, so the indicative es becomes the subjunctive sea.

Question 4

Since there is doubt in the sentence, why doesn't caminamos also change to the subjunctive?

Accepted Answer

The doubt only applies to the identity of the building (whether it sea the headquarters). The action of the speakers walking towards it is a known, real fact happening right now, so caminamos stays in the normal indicative mood.

Question 5

Why is it esa instead of the neutral eso?

Accepted Answer

The word esa (that one) is a pronoun standing in for the specific thing being pointed at, which we immediately learn is la sede (the headquarters). Since sede is feminine, the pronoun must match it. You would only use the neutral eso for an abstract idea or a completely unidentified object.

Dudo que esa sea la sede hacia la cual caminamos.

Breakdown of Dudo que esa sea la sede hacia la cual caminamos.

Questions & Answers about Dudo que esa sea la sede hacia la cual caminamos.

Learn Dudo que esa sea la sede hacia la cual caminamos and more in Spanish