Breakdown of Cuando él era joven, se conformaba con poco, mientras que hoy busca la riqueza.
ser
to be
él
he
joven
young
hoy
today
buscar
to look for
que
that / than
poco
little / a little
cuando
when (statement)
mientras
while / the more/less (in proportional comparisons) / as long as
la riqueza
wealth
conformarse con
to settle for
Questions & Answers about Cuando él era joven, se conformaba con poco, mientras que hoy busca la riqueza.
Why do we use the indicative busca after mientras que instead of the subjunctive?
In this sentence, mientras que translates to 'while' or 'whereas' to contrast two distinct facts. Because it states a reality about what he does today rather than a hypothetical future condition, it triggers the indicative mood (busca). If it meant 'as long as', it would require the subjunctive.
Why is the verb conformarse paired with con here?
The pronominal verb conformarse con is a set phrase meaning 'to settle for' or 'to be satisfied with'. You must use the preposition con right before the thing being settled for, which in this case is poco (little).
Why does the Spanish sentence say la riqueza when the English translation just says 'wealth'?
In Spanish, abstract nouns like riqueza (wealth) require a definite article (la) when we are talking about the general concept. English typically omits the article in these cases.
Is the subject pronoun él required at the beginning of the sentence?
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