Breakdown of El hombre pregunta si el consumidor tiene una costumbre diaria.
el hombre
the man
un
a, an, some
tener
to have
preguntar
to ask
la costumbre
the habit / the custom, tradition
si
if
el consumidor
the consumer
diario
daily
Questions & Answers about El hombre pregunta si el consumidor tiene una costumbre diaria.
Why do we use si in this sentence instead of que?
Because the sentence is reporting a yes/no question. When reporting a regular statement, you use que (like dice que... meaning he says that...). But when reporting a question that can be answered with yes or no, you use si (meaning if or whether), just like in English.
Why is the second verb tiene in the present tense? Doesn't reported speech usually change the tense?
The tense only needs to shift back into the past when the main reporting verb is in the past tense. Because pregunta is in the present tense, the reported verb tiene stays exactly as it was in the man's original direct question.
Is costumbre a feminine noun? It doesn't end in -a or -o.
Could I use un hábito instead of una costumbre here?
Yes, un hábito and una costumbre are often interchangeable when talking about daily routines. Costumbre leans slightly more towards a customary practice or routine, while hábito is closer to a personal physiological or psychological habit, but both work perfectly in this sentence.
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