Breakdown of La gente me mira como si fuera un desconocido.
ser
to be
un
a, an, some
me
to me / myself (reflexive) / me (direct object)
la gente
the people
mirar
to look
como si
as if
el desconocido
the stranger (unknown person)
Questions & Answers about La gente me mira como si fuera un desconocido.
Why is fuera (past subjunctive) used when the sentence is talking about something happening right now (mira)?
The phrase como si (as if) always triggers the past subjunctive (Imperfect Subjunctive) when you are comparing a current reality to a hypothetical or unreal situation. Even though people are looking at you right now, you aren't actually a stranger. Spanish never uses the present subjunctive after como si.
Could I use fuese instead of fuera in this sentence?
Yes, absolutely. Fuera and fuese are both valid forms of the Imperfect Subjunctive for the verb ser. You will hear both in Spain, though fuera is slightly more common in everyday speech.
In English, "people" is plural. Why does this sentence use the singular verb mira instead of miran?
In Spanish, the word gente is a singular feminine noun. Even though it refers to a group of people, it always takes third-person singular verbs and singular adjectives. If you used miran, it would be grammatically incorrect.
I've seen the word extranjero used before. Why is un desconocido used here for "a stranger"?
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