Breakdown of El hecho de que la mortalidad disminuya es un gran éxito.
ser
to be
de
from / of
un
a, an (masculine)
que
that / than
el éxito
success
disminuir
to decrease
grande
great, outstanding
el hecho
the fact (de hecho: in fact)
la mortalidad
mortality rate
Questions & Answers about El hecho de que la mortalidad disminuya es un gran éxito.
Why is disminuya in the subjunctive if the sentence is talking about an established fact?
Even though the clause introduced by el hecho de que states a fact, it triggers the subjunctive here because it acts as the subject of a value judgment. The main phrase es un gran éxito evaluates the fact. In Spanish, when you comment on or react to a factual statement like this, the noun clause takes the subjunctive to keep the conversational focus on your evaluation rather than the declaration of the fact itself.
Why does the verb disminuir change to disminuya with a y?
For verbs ending in -uir (like disminuir, construir, and huir), a y is inserted before endings that start with a, e, or o. This spelling change happens in the present indicative and present subjunctive to preserve the sound of the word and make it easier to pronounce.
Why is it un gran éxito instead of un grande éxito?
The adjective grande drops its final syllable and becomes gran whenever it is placed directly in front of a singular noun, regardless of whether that noun is masculine or feminine. Placing it before the noun also translates more to "great" in a figurative sense, whereas placing it after usually means physically "large."
Is éxito related to the English word "exit"?
No, éxito is a classic false friend. It means "success" or "hit" (like a hit song or movie). If you need to talk about a physical exit door or leaving a place, the word you want is salida.
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