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Si el golpe es muy fuerte, el perro se queda ciego.

Si el golpe es muy fuerte, el perro se queda ciego.
If the blow is very strong, the dog goes blind.
From Lesson 219:Resulting states (quedarse)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Si el golpe es muy fuerte, el perro se queda ciego.

Why do we use se queda here to mean 'goes'? Why not use a verb like ir or volverse?
In Spanish, verbs of change are very specific. We use the reflexive verb quedarse (literally 'to stay' or 'to remain') followed by an adjective to describe a new state that is the direct result of a sudden or specific event. Here, the event is the blow (el golpe), and the resulting state is being blind (ciego). You cannot translate 'goes blind' directly with ir, because va ciego would literally mean the dog is walking around blind!
Why is es used in el golpe es muy fuerte instead of está? Isn't a blow a temporary thing?
Even though a blow is a fleeting event, we use ser (es) because we are describing the inherent characteristic or defining quality of that hypothetical blow. We are talking about what kind of blow it is (a strong one). We use estar for temporary states or locations, not to define the fundamental nature of an event or action.
The English translation says 'goes blind' but could also be 'will go blind'. Why doesn't the Spanish sentence use the future tense here?
When making 'if X happens, Y happens' statements (conditional sentences) about realistic situations, Spanish often uses the present tense for both halves: Si el golpe es... el perro se queda.... This makes it sound like a guaranteed fact or an immediate consequence. You could grammatically say se quedará (will go blind), but using the present tense for both verbs is extremely common and natural in Spanish for stating facts.
Does the word golpe only mean a physical hit?
Primarily, yes, golpe means a blow, hit, or strike. However, just like in English, it can be used figuratively. For example, you will often hear un golpe de suerte (a stroke of luck) or un golpe de estado (a coup d'etat).

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