Breakdown of Puesto que el gerente se lo explicó, no pagaremos la comisión en esta sucursal.
no
no, not
en
in / on / at
pagar
to pay
explicar
to explain
lo
it / him (direct object)
este
this
el gerente
the manager
se
to him / to her / to them / to you (formal)
puesto que
since / given that
la sucursal
branch (office)
la comisión
commission/fee
Questions & Answers about Puesto que el gerente se lo explicó, no pagaremos la comisión en esta sucursal.
Why is explicó in the indicative mood after puesto que?
Puesto que (since or given that) is a causal conjunction that introduces a declared fact or reason. Because the manager actually did explain it, we state it as a reality and use the indicative mood (explicó). You generally only use the subjunctive for a reason if you are actively denying that it is the real cause, such as when using the phrase no porque.
Could I use ya que or dado que instead of puesto que in this sentence?
Absolutely. Puesto que, ya que, and dado que are all formal causal conjunctions that mean 'since' or 'given that', and they all take the indicative mood in this context. Ya que is the most common in everyday speech, while puesto que and dado que sound slightly more formal, which fits well with business terms like gerente and comisión.
What does the se in se lo explicó stand for here?
It is an indirect object pronoun meaning 'to him' (though it could also mean 'to her' or the formal 'to you' depending on the broader context). The underlying grammatical phrase is le lo explicó (explained it to him), but Spanish always changes le to se when it comes right before lo, la, los, or las to avoid the clunky le lo sound.
Is sucursal the standard word for any kind of 'branch'?
Yes, but strictly for businesses and organizations. A sucursal is a branch office or local store of a larger company, like a bank or a supermarket chain. If you are talking about a physical branch of a tree, you must use the word rama.
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