Breakdown of Siempre viajamos los martes, a menos que surja un imprevisto.
un
a, an, some
siempre
always
viajar
to travel
el martes
the Tuesday
Questions & Answers about Siempre viajamos los martes, a menos que surja un imprevisto.
Why is surja in the subjunctive here?
The phrase a menos que (unless) introduces a condition that might prevent the main action from happening. Because this condition is hypothetical and not a stated fact, a menos que always triggers the subjunctive.
Could I use a no ser que or salvo que instead of a menos que in this sentence?
Absolutely. All three are negative conditional linkers meaning 'unless' and they are completely interchangeable here. They all require the subjunctive, so you could perfectly say a no ser que surja or salvo que surja.
Why is the verb surja spelled with a 'j' if the infinitive is surgir with a 'g'?
This is a necessary spelling change to preserve the pronunciation. The letter 'g' before 'i' in surgir has a soft, breathy sound. If you spelled the subjunctive with a 'g' (surga), the 'g' before an 'a' would have a hard sound. Changing it to a 'j' keeps the original soft pronunciation.
I sometimes want to translate 'on Tuesdays' as en los martes. Why is it just los martes here?
In Spanish, you do not use en for days of the week. You simply use the definite article. Using the plural article los before martes translates to 'on Tuesdays', indicating it is a recurring habit.