Breakdown of Ojalá que estés consciente de que repetir ese patrón es malo.
ser
to be
de
from / of
estar
to be (location/state)
ese
that (masculine)
repetir
to repeat
que
that / than
malo
bad
ojalá
hopefully / I hope
el patrón
pattern
consciente
conscious / aware
Questions & Answers about Ojalá que estés consciente de que repetir ese patrón es malo.
Why do we need "de que" instead of just "que" after "consciente"?
This is the core of your current lesson! In Spanish, you are aware of something (consciente de algo). When that "something" is an entire clause introduced by que, the preposition de must stay. Dropping it and saying consciente que is a common mistake among native speakers (known as queísmo), but strict grammar requires keeping the de.
Could I say "ser consciente" instead of "estar consciente"?
Yes, and you'll hear both, but there is a regional preference and a subtle difference. In Latin America, estar consciente is extremely common to mean "to be aware of a specific fact or situation." Ser consciente is also used, but it can sometimes lean closer to "being a conscientious or responsible person" by nature.
Why is "estés" in the subjunctive mood?
The word ojalá (meaning "hopefully" or "I hope") always triggers the subjunctive mood because it expresses a strong desire or hope. You can use it with or without que (ojalá estés or ojalá que estés), but the verb will always be subjunctive either way.
Why is the final verb "es" in the indicative mood, rather than the subjunctive "sea"?
The subjunctive mood triggered by ojalá only affects the verb immediately tied to it (estés). The nested clause (repetir ese patrón es malo) simply states the fact that you are supposedly aware of. Since it's declaring what that fact is, it stays in the normal indicative mood.
Why is it "repetir" (infinitive) and not "repitiendo" if the English translation says "repeating"?
In English, we use verbs ending in "-ing" (gerunds) as nouns. In Spanish, when an action is the subject of a sentence—here, "repeating that pattern" is the subject of "is bad"—you must use the infinitive. The Spanish -ando and -iendo forms are only used for actions currently in progress, never as noun subjects.
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