Word
Trae una silla por si el cura se desmaya.
Meaning
Bring a chair in case the priest faints.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Trae una silla por si el cura se desmaya.
un
a, an, some
la silla
the chair
traer
to bring
si
if
Questions & Answers about Trae una silla por si el cura se desmaya.
Why do we use the present indicative desmaya after por si? Doesn't 'in case' imply doubt?
Even though there is uncertainty about whether the priest will faint, the phrase por si (in case) takes the present indicative when talking about a possible future event. You do not use the present subjunctive after por si.
Why is the masculine article el used for cura if the word ends in an -a?
El cura is a masculine noun meaning 'the priest'. It is one of those tricky words where the gender completely changes the meaning: if you say la cura, it means 'the cure' or 'the treatment'.
Is trae the present tense 'he/she brings' in this sentence?
No, here it is an affirmative informal command telling a friend (tú) to do it: 'Bring a chair!'. To form the affirmative tú command, you just use the third-person singular form of the present tense, which is why it looks exactly like 'he/she brings'.
What is the se doing before desmaya?
The verb for 'to faint' or 'to pass out' in Spanish is desmayarse, which is used reflexively. The se corresponds to el cura (he). Many Spanish verbs describing a sudden change in physical state require these reflexive pronouns.