Breakdown of Como te niegues a hablar, te despido.
hablar
to speak / to talk
te
to you / you (direct object)
despedir
to fire
como
if (as a warning/threat)
negarse a
to refuse to
Questions & Answers about Como te niegues a hablar, te despido.
Why is the verb pronominal here (te niegues) instead of just niegues?
Why is there an a before hablar?
The verb negarse requires the preposition a when it is followed by an infinitive verb. You always use negarse a to express what it is you are refusing to do.
Why does this sentence use como for 'if', and why is niegues in the subjunctive?
Using como followed by the subjunctive is a conversational way to express a condition that carries a warning or a threat. It translates to 'If you...' but sounds much more menacing or absolute than a standard conditional sentence with si.
The English translation says 'I will fire you', but te despido is in the present tense. Why not use the future tense?
In Spanish, the present tense is frequently used to express an immediate, guaranteed future action. Using te despido instead of the future tense te despediré makes the threat sound immediate and absolutely certain.
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