Breakdown of La masa madre crece a medida que fermenta.
crecer
to grow
a medida que
as / at the same time as (progression)
la masa madre
the sourdough starter
fermentar
to ferment
Questions & Answers about La masa madre crece a medida que fermenta.
Why is fermenta in the indicative here rather than the subjunctive?
Because the sentence states a general, observable fact. When a medida que introduces a progression that is currently happening or generally true, we use the indicative. If this were a future, anticipated event (like 'It will grow as it ferments'), you would need the subjunctive: crecerá a medida que fermente.
Masa madre literally translates to 'mother dough'. Is this the standard way to say 'sourdough starter'?
Yes, masa madre is the universally understood term for a sourdough starter across the Spanish-speaking world. It captures the idea that this active culture acts as the 'mother' or base to create other loaves of bread.
Could I just use mientras instead of a medida que?
You could say mientras fermenta, but it changes the nuance. Mientras simply means two things are happening at the same time ('while it ferments'). A medida que emphasizes parallel progression, meaning 'in proportion to' or 'as'. It tells us the dough grows gradually in step with the fermentation process.
Why is fermenta used without a reflexive pronoun (like se fermenta)?