Breakdown of Construirán donde la densidad sea alta.
ser
to be
alto
tall / high
construir
to build
donde
where (relative)
la densidad
the density
Questions & Answers about Construirán donde la densidad sea alta.
Why does this sentence use the subjunctive sea instead of the indicative es?
In Spanish, when donde (where) points to a place that is unknown, unspecified, or hasn't been identified yet, it triggers the subjunctive. Because they haven't built yet and are just setting a condition for any place that has high density, we use sea. If they were referring to a specific, already-known location, they would use the indicative (es).
Since Construirán is in the future tense, why don't we use the future tense será after donde?
Spanish almost never uses the future tense immediately after relative adverbs like donde (where), cuando (when), or como (how) to express a future condition. Instead, the uncertainty of that future event is expressed by using the present subjunctive (sea). The main verb (Construirán) handles the future tense for the whole thought.
Why is there no subject pronoun like ellos before Construirán?
In Spanish, subject pronouns are usually dropped when the context or the verb ending makes it clear who is doing the action. The -án ending on Construirán tells us the subject is "they" or "you all" (ustedes). Including ellos here wouldn't be wrong, but it would add unnecessary emphasis.
How do we know densidad is feminine so we can use the feminine adjective alta?
Nouns ending in -dad (like densidad, ciudad, verdad) are always feminine in Spanish. This is a very reliable pattern, so you will always pair them with feminine adjectives and articles.
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