Breakdown of Probablemente la bujía funcione mejor de lo que piensas.
de
from / of
mejor
better
pensar
to think / to plan
que
that / than
funcionar
to work / to function (machines, devices)
lo
the ... thing (neuter article)
probablemente
probably
la bujía
spark plug
Questions & Answers about Probablemente la bujía funcione mejor de lo que piensas.
Why is funcione in the subjunctive here instead of the indicative funciona?
Adverbs of doubt like probablemente, quizás, and tal vez can take either the indicative or the subjunctive depending on the speaker's level of certainty. Using the subjunctive (funcione) shows that the speaker is less certain or more doubtful about the spark plug working well. If they felt very confident, they would have used the indicative funciona.
What happens to the verb if I move probablemente to the end of the sentence?
If you place an adverb of doubt like probablemente after the verb, you must use the indicative mood. The sentence would become La bujía funciona mejor de lo que piensas, probablemente. The subjunctive is only an option when these adverbs come before the verb.
Why does the sentence use mejor de lo que instead of just mejor que?
When making a comparison that is followed by a conjugated verb or an entire clause (in this case, piensas), you must use de lo que rather than just que. You only use que when comparing nouns, pronouns, or adjectives, such as in Esta bujía es mejor que la otra (This spark plug is better than the other one).
I learned that to work is trabajar. Why is funcione used here instead?
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