Breakdown of Me alegré de que ustedes recordaran el estribillo.
ustedes
you (plural)
recordar
to remember
que
that / than
alegrarse de
to be glad about
el estribillo
the chorus
Questions & Answers about Me alegré de que ustedes recordaran el estribillo.
Why do we use the imperfect subjunctive recordaran here instead of the regular past tense recordaron?
The phrase Me alegré de que expresses an emotion. Just like in the present tense where emotions trigger the subjunctive, past emotions trigger the past (imperfect) subjunctive. Because the main verb alegré is in the past, the subjunctive verb must match that timeframe, giving us recordaran.
Why is there a de in Me alegré de que? Can I just say Me alegré que?
You need the de. The verb alegrarse (to be glad or happy) requires the preposition de to introduce what is causing the happiness (alegrarse de algo). When you introduce a whole new clause with que, that de doesn't disappear. Dropping it is a common mistake, but keeping it is grammatically required and makes your Spanish sound very natural.
Could I use recordasen instead of recordaran?
Yes, absolutely. The imperfect subjunctive has two sets of endings: the -ra form (recordaran) and the -se form (recordasen). They mean exactly the same thing and are grammatically interchangeable. However, in Latin America, the -ra endings are much more common in everyday speech and writing.
How would the meaning change if I used the imperfect past Me alegraba instead of the preterite Me alegré?
It changes the focus of your emotion. Me alegré (preterite) emphasizes the specific moment you reacted, meaning "I became glad" or "I was glad right then." Me alegraba (imperfect) describes an ongoing background emotion in the past, meaning "I was feeling glad" over a period of time. Importantly, both of these past tenses still require the imperfect subjunctive in the second part of the sentence.
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