Breakdown of Me emocionó mucho que cantaran el estribillo.
mucho
many / a lot
cantar
to sing
que
that / than
me
to me / me (direct object)
emocionar
to excite
el estribillo
the chorus
Questions & Answers about Me emocionó mucho que cantaran el estribillo.
Why is cantaran in the imperfect subjunctive?
Because the main verb (emocionó) expresses an emotion. When the main clause expresses an emotion or judgment, the dependent clause following que requires the subjunctive. Since the main verb is in a past tense, the dependent verb must be in the past subjunctive form, which is the imperfect subjunctive (cantaran).
Why do we use emocionó instead of emocioné if I was the one who was thrilled?
Here, emocionar works just like the verb gustar. The grammatical subject of the sentence isn't you, but rather the event that caused the emotion: que cantaran el estribillo (that they sang the chorus). The verb is conjugated in the third-person singular (emocionó) to match that event, and me is the indirect object receiving the emotion.
Could I say Me emocionaba mucho que... instead of using the preterite emocionó?
Yes, but it changes the meaning slightly. Using the preterite (emocionó) refers to a specific instance, like a sudden emotional reaction at a single concert. Using the imperfect (emocionaba) would mean it used to thrill you repeatedly, or describe an ongoing feeling in the past. Both tenses still trigger the imperfect subjunctive (cantaran) in the second half of the sentence!
Could I use cantasen instead of cantaran?
Yes. Cantasen is the alternative ending for the imperfect subjunctive, and it is grammatically correct and means the exact same thing. However, in Latin America, the -ra endings like cantaran are much more common in everyday speech than the -se endings.
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