Breakdown of ¡Conque gruñes, sinvergüenza! No te tengo miedo.
no
no, not
te
to you / you (direct object)
conque
so / so then (drawing a conclusion)
el sinvergüenza
scoundrel / shameless person
gruñir
to growl
tener miedo
to be afraid
Questions & Answers about ¡Conque gruñes, sinvergüenza! No te tengo miedo.
Why is conque written as one word here, and what does it mean in this context?
As a single word, conque is a conjunction that means 'so' or 'so then.' It is used to draw a conclusion or state a consequence based on what was just observed. Here, the speaker observes the growling and deduces a confrontational 'So, you growl!' If it were two words (con que or con qué), it would mean 'with which' or 'with what,' which does not fit here.
Why is gruñes in the indicative mood after conque?
We use the indicative after conque when we are stating a known fact or reality. The speaker hears the scoundrel growling right now, so it is a confirmed reality. If conque were used to issue a command or consequence based on this deduction, it would be followed by the imperative (for example, Conque vete - 'So leave').
How does the word sinvergüenza work? Does it change if the scoundrel is female?
Why does the second sentence use te, and how does tener miedo work with pronouns?
In Spanish, when you are afraid of someone or something, that person or thing often acts as the indirect object. Instead of saying no tengo miedo de ti (which is understandable but less natural), native speakers use the indirect object pronoun te with tener miedo. Literally, it is like saying 'I do not hold fear for you.'
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