Breakdown of ¡Conque deja de escarbar en el contenedor ahora mismo!
de
from / of
en
in / on / at
ahora
now
mismo
same / right (emphatic, e.g. ahora mismo)
dejar
to stop / to leave (something behind)
el contenedor
container
conque
so / so then (drawing a conclusion)
escarbar
to rummage / to dig (scratching the surface)
Questions & Answers about ¡Conque deja de escarbar en el contenedor ahora mismo!
Why do we use conque here, and why is it followed by a command?
The word conque is a conjunction meaning "so" or "so then." It draws a conclusion from a situation and often introduces an imperative (a command), like deja in this sentence. The speaker is implying a prior context, like catching someone in the act, and using conque to say, "Therefore, stop doing that."
I always get confused: when is it conque, con que, or con qué?
Written as one word, conque means "so" or "therefore" (as seen here). Written as two words, con que means "with which" or "with that" (e.g., el lápiz con que escribo). Two words with an accent, con qué, is strictly for questions or exclamations meaning "with what?" (e.g., ¿Con qué escribes?).
Why use deja de escarbar instead of para de escarbar to say "stop rummaging"?
The phrase dejar de followed by an infinitive is the most natural and standard way to translate "to stop doing something" in Spanish. While parar de is sometimes used, dejar de is much more common for expressing that someone should quit an ongoing activity.
Can escarbar be used for humans, or just for animals scratching the dirt?
Does el contenedor just refer to a small plastic container here?
It could mean any container, but in everyday urban contexts, el contenedor specifically refers to a dumpster, a large public trash bin, or a recycling bin. Given that someone is rummaging through it, a street dumpster is the most likely meaning here.
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