Breakdown of Me molesta que el director dirija sin la batuta.
que
that / than
me
to me / me (direct object)
molestar
to bother
el director
the director
sin
without
dirigir
to conduct / to direct
la batuta
the baton
Questions & Answers about Me molesta que el director dirija sin la batuta.
How does this sentence demonstrate the 'infinitive vs. que + subjunctive' rule?
The structure depends on whether the subject changes. Since the person bothered (me) is different from the person conducting (el director), we must use que + the subjunctive (dirija). If they were the same person, you would drop que and use the infinitive: Me molesta dirigir sin la batuta (It bothers me to conduct without the baton).
Wait, isn't molestar a verb of emotion rather than influence?
Yes! While your current lesson focuses on verbs of influence (like asking or ordering), verbs of emotion and reaction (like molestar, alegrar, or sorprender) follow the exact same structural rule. They trigger the subjunctive when the subject changes, and they take the infinitive when the subject remains the same.
Why is dirija spelled with a 'j' instead of a 'g' like in its infinitive, dirigir?
This is a spelling change required to keep the pronunciation consistent. In Spanish, the letter 'g' makes a soft, breathy sound (like an English 'h') when followed by an 'e' or 'i'. If we kept the 'g' before the subjunctive 'a' ending (diriga), it would suddenly make a hard sound (like in 'gate'). Changing it to 'j' (dirija) preserves that soft, breathy sound.
Why do we use the indirect object pronoun 'me' here instead of 'yo'?
Molestar is a verb that works backwards compared to English, exactly like gustar. The entire action of the director conducting is actually the subject of the sentence. Literally, the sentence says: 'That the director conducts without the baton bothers me.' Therefore, you use the indirect object me to show who is receiving the bother.
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