Breakdown of Busco un ático que sea amplio.
ser
to be
un
a, an, some
buscar
to look for
que
that (relative pronoun, conjunction)
Questions & Answers about Busco un ático que sea amplio.
Why do we use the subjunctive sea here instead of the normal present tense es?
We use the subjunctive sea because we are looking for a penthouse that fits this description, but we don't know if one actually exists yet. In Spanish, when you describe an indefinite or unknown noun (like our unknown un ático), the verb in the descriptive clause takes the subjunctive. If you were talking about a specific penthouse you had already viewed and were describing it to a friend, you would use the indicative es.
Why isn't there a word for "for" after busco?
Why do we use a form of ser (sea) instead of estar (esté) for describing the penthouse?
Does ático always mean a luxury penthouse?
Not necessarily! In Spain, an ático is simply the top-floor apartment of a residential building, which very often includes an open roof terrace. While it translates well to "penthouse," it doesn't always carry the ultra-luxury, millionaire vibe that the English word often implies; it is mostly just an architectural description.