ELONIO
Log inSign up

No dejes el metal ahí, sujétalo en el yunque, no sea que se caiga.

No dejes el metal ahí, sujétalo en el yunque, no sea que se caiga.
Do not leave the metal there, hold it on the anvil, just in case it falls.
From Lesson 354:Precautionary clauses (no sea que)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about No dejes el metal ahí, sujétalo en el yunque, no sea que se caiga.

Why is the subjunctive caiga used after no sea que?
The phrase no sea que means 'lest' or 'so that it doesn't'. It introduces a hypothetical, undesired event that you are actively trying to prevent. Because this event hasn't happened yet and is a hypothetical fear, it always triggers the subjunctive mood.
Could I use no vaya a ser que instead of no sea que in this sentence?
Absolutely! No vaya a ser que means exactly the same thing and is very common in spoken Latin American Spanish. It also requires the subjunctive, so the end of the sentence would simply be no vaya a ser que se caiga.
The translation says 'just in case'. Could I use por si acaso here?
You could, but the grammar would change. Por si acaso usually takes the indicative mood because it simply states a possible condition, so you would say por si acaso se cae. The phrase no sea que is more specifically focused on preventing a negative outcome and strictly requires the subjunctive.
Why is it se caiga rather than just caiga?
We use the pronominal verb caerse here instead of just caer to emphasize that the fall is accidental. While caer is often used for a standard, expected falling motion (like rain), caerse is used for things losing their balance or dropping by mistake, like a piece of metal slipping off an anvil.
Why does sujétalo have an accent mark?
The base affirmative command is sujeta (fasten/hold), which naturally has its spoken stress on the second-to-last syllable (su-JE-ta). When we attach the object pronoun lo to the end, the word gains an extra syllable. We must add a written accent mark to keep the spoken stress locked on that original syllable: sujétalo.

Learn No dejes el metal ahí, sujétalo en el yunque, no sea que se caiga and more in Spanish

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Spanish →