Breakdown of Por muy rápido que tejas, la madeja siempre se enreda.
rápido
fast
siempre
always
muy
very
que
that / than
Questions & Answers about Por muy rápido que tejas, la madeja siempre se enreda.
Why is tejas in the subjunctive here instead of the indicative tejes?
The structure por muy + adverb or adjective + que translates to 'no matter how'. It requires the subjunctive because it sets up a concessive clause, meaning you are conceding a point regardless of its intensity. Whether you actually knit fast right now or are just imagining doing it in the future, the subjunctive tejas shows that the speed won't change the final outcome.
Since rápido is describing how you knit, shouldn't it be the adverb rápidamente?
You could definitely use rápidamente, but in everyday Spanish, certain adjectives like rápido, lento, and duro double as adverbs. Using rápido to mean 'fast' or 'quickly' is perfectly correct and actually much more common in spoken Latin American Spanish than the longer -mente form.
Could I say por más rápido que tejas instead of using por muy?
What is the purpose of se in se enreda?