Breakdown of El cetrero adiestra al halcón para que vuele.
para
for
que
that / than
volar
to fly
al
personal 'a' + the (marks a human direct object)
el cetrero
the falconer
adiestrar
to train (animals)
el halcón
the falcon
Questions & Answers about El cetrero adiestra al halcón para que vuele.
Why is vuele in the subjunctive here?
The phrase para que (so that / in order that) always triggers the subjunctive in Spanish. It introduces a purpose or a goal, which is seen as a potential outcome rather than an established fact. So, we use vuele (from volar) instead of the indicative vuela.
Why is there an al (a + el) before halcón? Isn't the personal a only for people?
Generally, yes, but the personal a is also used for specific animals, especially when they are individualized, named, or have a working relationship with humans (like pets or a falconer's bird). Because this is a specific, trained animal, the a is required here.
Could I use entrena instead of adiestra to mean 'trains'?
Why does the spelling change to vuele instead of vole?
The verb volar (to fly) is a stem-changing verb where the o changes to ue when the syllable is stressed. The present subjunctive borrows its stem from the 'yo' form of the present indicative (yo vuelo). Therefore, the subjunctive form for the falcon (third-person singular) becomes vuele.
Learn El cetrero adiestra al halcón para que vuele 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