Breakdown of No pensaba que el forastero trabajara aquí.
no
no / not
trabajar
to work
aquí
here
pensar
to think
que
that (relative pronoun, conjunction)
el forastero
the stranger
Questions & Answers about No pensaba que el forastero trabajara aquí.
Why do we use the imperfect subjunctive trabajara instead of the indicative trabajaba?
In Spanish, negated verbs of thinking or believing, like no pensaba (I didn't think), trigger the subjunctive because they express doubt or a lack of certainty. Since the main verb (pensaba) is in a past tense, the second verb must be in a past subjunctive tense. That is why we use the imperfect subjunctive trabajara.
How exactly do we form trabajara from the infinitive trabajar?
Could I say trabajase instead of trabajara?
Yes, absolutely. The imperfect subjunctive has two valid sets of endings: -ra and -se. You will hear both in Spain, and trabajase means the exact same thing as trabajara. However, the -ra endings are generally much more common in everyday speech.
The word for stranger here is forastero. Could I use extranjero or desconocido?
It depends on the exact context. Forastero usually means an outsider from another town or region. If the stranger is from another country, you would use extranjero (foreigner). If you are referring to a random person on the street whose identity you don't know, desconocido (unknown person) is the best fit.
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