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Me quedé pasmado con la aparición, como si me lo hubieran advertido.

Me quedé pasmado con la aparición, como si me lo hubieran advertido.
I was stunned by the apparition, as if they had warned me about it.
From Lesson 397:Past unreal manner clauses (como si)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Me quedé pasmado con la aparición, como si me lo hubieran advertido.

Why do we use the Pluperfect Subjunctive (hubieran advertido) here instead of the Imperfect Subjunctive?
The phrase como si (as if) always triggers the subjunctive because it introduces a hypothetical scenario. We use the Pluperfect Subjunctive (hubieran advertido) here because the imaginary warning would have happened before the main past action (me quedé pasmado). If the imaginary action was happening at the same time as the main action, we would use the Imperfect Subjunctive instead.
What exactly do me and lo stand for in me lo hubieran advertido?
These are double object pronouns. me is the indirect object meaning 'to me,' and lo is the direct object referring to the unstated event or situation ('it'). Together, they literally mean 'as if they had warned me about it.'
Why is the verb plural (hubieran) if the English translation uses a generic 'they'?
In Spanish, using the third-person plural is a common way to express an impersonal subject, much like the generic 'they' or 'someone' in English. The speaker does not have a specific group of people in mind; they just mean 'as if someone had warned me.'
Why does the sentence use me quedé instead of estaba or fui to say 'I was'?
The reflexive verb quedarse followed by an adjective is a very common way to express a change of state or a sudden reaction. While estaba pasmado describes an ongoing state of being stunned, me quedé pasmado emphasizes the event of becoming stunned or being 'left' stunned by what just happened.
Why do we use con instead of por to say 'by the apparition'?
When talking about the trigger for an emotional reaction or a physical change of state, Spanish often uses con (with) rather than por (by). You are essentially saying that you were left stunned 'upon encountering' or 'with' the apparition.

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