Breakdown of El adulto defiende la creencia, mientras que la brecha crece.
que
that / than
crecer
to grow
mientras
while / the more/less (in proportional comparisons) / as long as
el adulto
the adult
defender
to defend
la creencia
the belief
la brecha
the gap
Questions & Answers about El adulto defiende la creencia, mientras que la brecha crece.
Why does mientras que use the indicative verb crece here instead of the subjunctive crezca?
In this sentence, mientras que contrasts two established facts ("whereas"), so it takes the indicative. If it were referring to an uncertain future event, like "as long as the gap grows," it would need the subjunctive (mientras crezca).
Could I drop the que and just say mientras la brecha crece?
How is brecha used compared to other words for "gap"?
Brecha is typically used for figurative or abstract gaps, such as a generation gap (brecha generacional) or an economic gap. For a physical gap or space between objects, you would usually use espacio or hueco.
Is the verb defender a stem-changing verb?
Yes, defender (to defend) is an e-to-ie stem-changing verb in the present tense, which is why it becomes defiende here. It follows the same pattern as verbs you already know like entender (entiende) and perder (pierde).
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