Breakdown of Podremos salir de la logia mientras custodiemos el juramento.
de
from / of
salir
to go out / to leave
poder
to be able to / can
mientras
while / the more/less (in proportional comparisons) / as long as
Questions & Answers about Podremos salir de la logia mientras custodiemos el juramento.
Why is custodiemos in the subjunctive here instead of the indicative?
Because of the word mientras. When mientras sets a condition for the future (meaning "as long as" or "provided that"), it must be followed by the subjunctive. Here, guarding the oath is the ongoing condition that will allow us to leave. If this were just stating a current, simultaneous fact ("While we guard the oath, they sleep"), you would use the indicative custodiamos.
Doesn't mientras usually mean "while"?
Yes, when it connects two simultaneous actions in the indicative, it means "while" (e.g., "I read while you eat"). But when you pair mientras with the subjunctive to talk about future duration, it acts as a conditional trigger, translating to "as long as."
Could I use dejar la logia instead of salir de la logia to say "leave the lodge"?
You could, but it changes the nuance. Salir de focuses on the physical action of exiting a space. Dejar means to leave in the sense of abandoning or quitting. If they are just walking out of the building, salir de is perfect. If they are quitting the secret society forever, dejar would be the better choice.
Why use custodiemos rather than guardemos to mean "guard"?