Breakdown of Si apagas el termostato, la factura llegará más barata de lo que imaginas.
de
from / of
barato
cheap
llegar
to arrive
que
that / than
más
more
la
the (feminine)
si
if
apagar
to turn off
lo
the ... thing (neuter article)
imaginar
to imagine
la factura
bill
el termostato
thermostat
Questions & Answers about Si apagas el termostato, la factura llegará más barata de lo que imaginas.
Why do we use de lo que here instead of just que for "than"?
Since la factura is feminine, why do we use de lo que instead of de la que?
In clausal comparatives, de lo que is used as a neutral phrase when comparing the degree of an adjective or adverb (how cheap it is) to a clause. You only use the gendered forms (del que, de la que, de los que, de las que) when comparing the amount of a specific noun (e.g., "We received more bills than the ones we expected" = Recibimos más facturas de las que esperábamos).
Why does the sentence use the adjective barata right after the verb llegará?
In Spanish, verbs of arrival or motion (like llegar) are frequently followed by an adjective to describe the state of the subject when the action happens. Even though it follows a verb, barata describes la factura, so it must agree with it in gender and number. It translates closely to "the bill will arrive [being] cheaper."
Why is imaginas in the indicative mood? Shouldn't a future, hypothetical comparison trigger the subjunctive?
The indicative is used because your imagining is treated as a current, established fact. Even though the bill's arrival is in the future, the degree of cheapness you currently expect or imagine is real right now in your mind, so imaginas stays in the present indicative.
Why is apagas in the present tense if turning off the thermostat affects a future bill?
This is a standard "first conditional" sentence, which works just like English. When expressing a realistic possibility, the si (if) clause uses the present indicative (si apagas), and the result clause uses the future tense (llegará).
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