Breakdown of Ya que compramos en otra divisa, pagamos este recargo.
comprar
to buy
en
in / on / at
pagar
to pay
este
this
Questions & Answers about Ya que compramos en otra divisa, pagamos este recargo.
Why is ya que used here to mean "since" instead of just using porque?
While porque means "because", ya que translates closer to "since" or "given that". It is used to introduce a cause or premise that is often already known to the listener. Additionally, it is very common and natural to start a sentence with ya que, whereas starting a sentence with porque is mostly done when directly answering a "why" question.
Why is the indicative verb compramos used after ya que? Shouldn't phrases like "given that" trigger the subjunctive?
No, causal conjunctions like ya que, puesto que, and dado que almost always take the indicative. This is because they declare established facts or realities. You are stating that you actually bought in another currency as a real fact to explain the surcharge, so the indicative compramos is required.
Since both compramos and pagamos are nosotros forms, how do we know their tenses here?
For regular -ar verbs, the present tense and the preterite (simple past) tense are identical for the nosotros form. You have to rely on context. Here, the logic of the sentence implies a sequence: the purchase happened in the past (compramos = bought), resulting in a fee that applies now (pagamos = pay).
Why does the sentence use otra divisa instead of for "another currency"?