Breakdown of Dudo que se contrate a alguien que no sea fotogénico al posar.
ser
to be
no
no, not
que
that / than
alguien
someone
se
(impersonal) one / passive marker
contratar
to hire
dudar
to doubt
al
upon / when (+ infinitive)
fotogénico
photogenic
posar
to pose
a
personal 'a' (marks a human direct object)
Questions & Answers about Dudo que se contrate a alguien que no sea fotogénico al posar.
In se contrate a alguien, why do we need the personal a? Doesn't the impersonal se make it passive?
When using the impersonal se with human objects, we add the personal a to clarify that the person is the receiver of the action, not the one doing it. This personal a turns the person into the direct object, which forces the verb to remain singular (se contrate). Even if we were talking about multiple people (like a unas personas), the verb would still have to stay singular!
Why are there two subjunctive verbs (contrate and sea) in this sentence?
Each one has its own trigger! contrate is in the subjunctive because it follows Dudo que (I doubt that), which expresses doubt. sea is in the subjunctive because it modifies alguien (someone), which is an indefinite antecedent. When you describe a hypothetical person who hasn't been identified yet, you must use the subjunctive in the descriptive clause.
Since alguien could refer to a woman, why is fotogénico in the masculine form?
The pronouns alguien (someone) and nadie (no one) are always grammatically masculine singular. Even if the hypothetical person being hired turns out to be female, any adjectives modifying alguien directly must remain in the masculine singular form.
How does al posar translate to 'when posing'?
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