Breakdown of Vamos a cancelar el vuelo a menos que deje de llover.
ir
to go
a
to
el vuelo
the flight
llover
to rain
dejar de
to stop (+ infinitive)
cancelar
to cancel
a menos que
unless (with 'menos')
Questions & Answers about Vamos a cancelar el vuelo a menos que deje de llover.
Why do we use the subjunctive deje here instead of the indicative deja?
The phrase a menos que (unless) always triggers the subjunctive in Spanish. It introduces a condition that hasn't happened yet and isn't guaranteed. Even though English uses the present indicative for this, Spanish strictly requires the subjunctive here.
Can I use the other linkers from this lesson, like a no ser que, in this sentence?
Why is there a de between deje and llover?
The structure dejar de followed by an infinitive means to stop doing something. If you dropped the de, the verb dejar would mean to leave or to allow, completely changing the meaning.
Does the meaning change if I start the sentence with a menos que?
Not at all. You can naturally say A menos que deje de llover, vamos a cancelar el vuelo. Just remember to add a comma when the conditional clause comes before the main action.
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