Question 1

Why do we use hubiera esquivado right after si instead of a conditional tense?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, the word si (if) is almost never followed by a conditional tense. For impossible past situations (the third conditional), the 'if' clause must use the past perfect subjunctive (hubiera esquivado), while the conditional perfect (habría sonado) goes in the result clause.

Question 2

Could I use hubiese esquivado instead of hubiera esquivado?

Accepted Answer

Yes! The past subjunctive has two sets of endings: -ra and -se. They mean exactly the same thing. Hubiera is more common overall, but hubiese is perfectly correct and you will hear both.

Question 3

Is it possible to use hubiera sonado instead of habría sonado in the second half of the sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes, this is a very common shortcut! In spoken Spanish, especially in Spain, native speakers frequently replace the conditional perfect (habría sonado) with the -ra form of the past perfect subjunctive (hubiera sonado) in the result clause of these 'impossible past' sentences.

Question 4

What does the word tan add to ese cómplice tan torpe?

Accepted Answer

Adding tan (so) gives a strong emphasis. While ese cómplice torpe just means 'that clumsy accomplice', adding tan highlights just how clumsy he was, giving a sense of 'that incredibly clumsy accomplice'.

Question 5

Why is 'gone off' translated as sonado here?

Accepted Answer

English uses the phrasal verb 'go off' for alarms springing into action, but Spanish uses a more literal verb. Sonado is the past participle of sonar (to sound or to ring). In Spanish, alarms simply 'sound'.

Si ese cómplice tan torpe hubiera esquivado el láser, la alarma no habría sonado.

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