Breakdown of Como me desobedezcas otra vez, te quitaré la paga.
me
to me / myself (reflexive) / me (direct object)
te
to you / yourself (reflexive) / you (direct object)
otro
other / another
la vez
the time (occurrence)
Questions & Answers about Como me desobedezcas otra vez, te quitaré la paga.
Why do we use como here to mean 'if', and why does it trigger the subjunctive?
Starting a sentence with como is a common way in Spain to give a warning or a threat, similar to saying 'If you do this, watch out!'. Unlike si, which just states a neutral condition and takes the indicative (like si me desobedeces), this threatening como always requires the present subjunctive. That is why we see desobedezcas here.
Where does the 'zc' spelling in desobedezcas come from?
To form the present subjunctive, you start with the 'yo' form of the present indicative. The verb desobedecer (to disobey) has an irregular 'yo' form: desobedezco. We keep that zc stem and add the 'tú' subjunctive ending -as, giving us desobedezcas.
Why does the sentence use la paga instead of tu paga for 'your allowance'?
In Spanish, when an action affects a person's body parts, clothing, or closely held personal items like an allowance, we use the definite article (la) instead of a possessive (tu). The indirect object pronoun te before the verb already shows that the allowance being taken away belongs to you.
Could I use the present tense instead of the future tense quitaré in the second half of the sentence?