Learn Spanish (Latin America): Te aconsejo que dirijas la orquesta hoy. - I advise that you conduct the orchestra today.

Te aconsejo que dirijas la orquesta hoy.

I advise that you conduct the orchestra today.

Breakdown of Te aconsejo que dirijas la orquesta hoy.

to you / you (direct object)

aconsejar

to advise

Questions & Answers about Te aconsejo que dirijas la orquesta hoy.

Since this lesson is about structural alternation, can I drop the que and say Te aconsejo dirigir la orquesta hoy instead?

Absolutely. With verbs of influence like aconsejar, when you have an indirect object pronoun like te, you can use either que followed by the subjunctive (que dirijas) or just the infinitive (dirigir). Both are perfectly correct, though using the infinitive is often more common in spoken Spanish because it is simpler.

Why does the spelling change to a j in dirijas when the infinitive is dirigir?

This spelling change preserves the pronunciation. In Spanish, a g before an i or e makes a soft sound, but before an a or o it makes a hard sound. To keep that soft sound in the present subjunctive, the g must change to a j. You will see this same shift in verbs like exigir which becomes exijas.

Does dirigir always translate to conducting when talking about music?

Yes. While you might already know dirigir as to manage or to direct in a business context, it is the standard verb for conducting an orchestra, a band, or a choir. Correspondingly, a conductor is called a director or directora.

Is the pronoun functioning as a direct or indirect object here?