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En cuanto termine la jornada cotidiana, comeré las sobras.

En cuanto termine la jornada cotidiana, comeré las sobras.
As soon as the daily workday ends, I will eat the leftovers.
From Lesson 340:As soon as (en cuanto, apenas, tan pronto como)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about En cuanto termine la jornada cotidiana, comeré las sobras.

Why do we use the subjunctive termine here instead of the indicative termina?
This is the core of your current lesson! The phrase en cuanto (as soon as) introduces a time clause. Because the action of the workday ending is in the future and hasn't actually happened yet, Spanish requires the present subjunctive (termine). If this were a regular habit instead of a future event (e.g., "As soon as the workday ends, I always eat leftovers"), you would use the indicative: En cuanto termina la jornada... como las sobras.
Why is the subject la jornada cotidiana placed after the verb termine?
In English, we strictly say "As soon as the workday ends" (Subject + Verb). But in Spanish, it's extremely common and natural to invert this order in dependent clauses, especially after time triggers like en cuanto, cuando, or hasta que. You could grammatically say En cuanto la jornada cotidiana termine, but putting the verb first flows much better to native ears.
Could I just say día de trabajo instead of jornada cotidiana?
Yes, día de trabajo works perfectly and is very common. However, jornada is a great B2-level noun that specifically means "working day," "work shift," or "day's journey." Paired with cotidiana (daily or everyday), it sounds just a bit more descriptive or formal than día de trabajo.
Is sobras the standard word for leftovers?
Yes, in the context of food, las sobras is exactly how you say "leftovers" across Latin America. It comes directly from the verb sobrar, which means "to be left over," "to remain," or "to be extra."

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