Breakdown of Apenas ella llegue, va a calentar la sopa en el microondas.
ella
she
en
in / on / at
ir
to go
a
to
llegar
to arrive
la sopa
soup
apenas
barely
calentar
to warm up
el microondas
the microwave
Questions & Answers about Apenas ella llegue, va a calentar la sopa en el microondas.
Why is llegue in the subjunctive here instead of the indicative llega?
Because apenas (as soon as) sets up a time clause referring to a future event. At the moment of speaking, she hasn't arrived yet, so her arrival is anticipated but not yet a reality. This kind of pending future action always triggers the subjunctive.
Wait, doesn't apenas usually mean "barely" or "hardly"?
Could I use en cuanto or tan pronto como instead of apenas in this sentence?
Absolutely. All three mean "as soon as" and are completely interchangeable here. Apenas is very common in everyday Latin American Spanish because it is short and natural to say.
Do we really need the subject pronoun ella before llegue?
It isn't strictly required, but it is often used for clarity. The present subjunctive form llegue can mean "he arrives", "she arrives", or "you (formal) arrive". Including ella removes any ambiguity about who is walking through the door.
Why does el microondas end in an -s if it refers to a single microwave?
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