Breakdown of La ciudadana espera aquí hasta que le traigas el DNI.
aquí
here
esperar
to wait for
le
to him / to her / to you (formal) / him (direct object, male person)
traer
to bring
Questions & Answers about La ciudadana espera aquí hasta que le traigas el DNI.
Why is traigas in the subjunctive here instead of the indicative traes?
The phrase hasta que (until) triggers the subjunctive when it refers to an event that has not happened yet. Because the bringing of the ID card is in the future from the perspective of her waiting, we must use the present subjunctive traigas. If she was waiting for something that routinely happens, we would use the indicative.
Why does the sentence use the simple present espera when the English translation says "is waiting"?
In Spanish, the simple present tense (espera) is frequently used to express actions happening right now, just like the present continuous ("is waiting") does in English. While you could say está esperando, espera is perfectly natural and common for this meaning.
Where does the "g" in traigas come from?
To form the present subjunctive, you take the "yo" (I) form of the present indicative and swap the vowel ending. The verb traer (to bring) has an irregular "yo" form: traigo. When you drop the "o" and add the opposite ending for "tú" (you), it becomes traigas.
Why is the indirect object pronoun le used here?
The pronoun le means "to him" or "to her". In this sentence, it means "to her", showing who receives the action of bringing the ID card. Spanish frequently requires these indirect object pronouns to clarify who is affected by the action, even if context gives us a good clue.