Breakdown of Con que cierres el recipiente, el terrario será autosuficiente.
ser
to be
que
that / than
cerrar
to close
con que
as long as (con que + subjunctive)
el recipiente
container (receptacle, vessel)
el terrario
terrarium
autosuficiente
self-sufficient
Questions & Answers about Con que cierres el recipiente, el terrario será autosuficiente.
Why use con que here instead of mientras or siempre y cuando?
While all of these can translate to "as long as", con que specifically expresses a condition of minimal sufficiency. It tells you that closing the container is the single, minimum requirement needed for the terrarium to thrive. Think of it as meaning "it is enough that you close the container."
Why is cierres in the subjunctive mood?
The expression con que always triggers the subjunctive because it sets up a hypothetical requirement or condition rather than stating an established fact. Since the result of the condition is expected in the future (será), we use the present subjunctive cierres.
Is con que related to the single word conque?
They sound identical but have very different grammatical roles. Con que (two words) introduces a condition, meaning "provided that." Conque (one word) is a conjunction used to draw a conclusion, meaning "so" or "therefore," as in Ya comiste, conque no tienes hambre (You already ate, so you aren't hungry).
If the lesson also covers the imperfect subjunctive with con que, how would that change this sentence?
To use the imperfect subjunctive, you would change cierres to cerraras and shift the future tense será to the conditional tense sería. The sentence would become Con que cerraras el recipiente, el terrario sería autosuficiente (If you just closed the container, the terrarium would be self-sufficient), making the scenario feel more hypothetical.
Learn Con que cierres el recipiente, el terrario será autosuficiente and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free