Breakdown of La hermandad tendrá que custodiar el santuario mientras haya peligro.
tener
to have
haber
to be (there is / there are)
mientras
while / the more/less (in proportional comparisons) / as long as
el peligro
the danger
la hermandad
the brotherhood
custodiar
to guard
el santuario
the sanctuary
Questions & Answers about La hermandad tendrá que custodiar el santuario mientras haya peligro.
Why does this sentence use the subjunctive haya instead of the indicative hay?
Because the sentence refers to a future, unresolved timeframe. The main clause uses the future tense in tendrá que. When mientras projects into the future, the exact duration of the event (the danger) is unknown, which triggers the use of the subjunctive.
Doesn't mientras usually just mean "while"? Why does it translate to "as long as" here?
When paired with the indicative, mientras describes a factual, ongoing event and translates to "while" (for example, leo mientras comes means "I read while you eat"). However, when paired with the subjunctive to talk about the future, it acts as a temporal-conditional word meaning "as long as" or "for as long as." It sets a condition that must remain true for the main action to continue.
What verb does haya come from?
Haya is the present subjunctive form of the impersonal verb hay (meaning "there is" or "there are"). Both come from the infinitive haber. Just as you use hay to declare that something exists in the indicative mood, you use haya when grammar requires the subjunctive mood.
Could I use hasta que instead of mientras to express the same general idea?
You could, but you would have to flip the logic of the sentence. Mientras focuses on the ongoing duration, so you say mientras haya peligro (as long as there is danger). Hasta que focuses on the endpoint, so you would need to negate the danger: hasta que ya no haya peligro (until there is no longer danger).
Why use custodiar instead of a more common word like guardar?
In modern Spanish, guardar usually translates to "to put away," "to save," or "to keep." To express "guarding" in the sense of keeping watch over or protecting something highly important, valuable, or sacred (like a sanctuary, a prisoner, or a treasure), custodiar is the precise and natural choice.
Learn La hermandad tendrá que custodiar el santuario mientras haya peligro and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free