Breakdown of A medida que la masa madre fermenta, la burbuja crece.
crecer
to grow
a medida que
as / at the same time as (progression)
la masa madre
the sourdough starter
fermentar
to ferment
la burbuja
the bubble
Questions & Answers about A medida que la masa madre fermenta, la burbuja crece.
Why is fermenta in the indicative here instead of the subjunctive?
The phrase a medida que introduces a parallel progression. You use the indicative (fermenta) for facts, habits, or things you are already experiencing. If you were talking about a future, anticipated progression (like 'As the sourdough ferments tomorrow, you will see...'), you would use the subjunctive (fermente).
Could I just use mientras to say 'while' or 'as'?
Does masa madre literally mean 'mother dough'?
Yes! Literally translating to 'mother dough', masa madre is the standard Spanish term for 'sourdough' or a 'sourdough starter'. It refers to the base culture of wild yeast used to make the bread rise.
Why does Spanish use la before masa madre if the English translation can just be 'As sourdough ferments'?
In Spanish, when a noun representing a general concept or a substance is the subject of a sentence, you almost always need the definite article. While English can drop the 'the' for general statements like 'sourdough ferments', Spanish requires la masa madre.
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