Breakdown of Pretende que yo sepa la respuesta. ¡Ni que fuera adivino!
yo
I
ser
to be
que
that (relative pronoun, conjunction)
saber
to know (facts, information)
Questions & Answers about Pretende que yo sepa la respuesta. ¡Ni que fuera adivino!
Why do we use the imperfect subjunctive (fuera) after ¡Ni que here?
The phrase ¡Ni que is used to make an ironic or exaggerated comparison, translating to 'As if!'. It always triggers the subjunctive because it introduces a hypothetical or completely unreal scenario. We use the imperfect subjunctive (fuera) here because this impossible scenario (being a fortune teller) applies to the present moment.
Could I use the present subjunctive (sea) instead of fuera?
No, ¡Ni que is never followed by the present subjunctive. Because it expresses an inherently unreal or rejected idea, it strictly requires a past subjunctive form (imperfect or pluperfect). This is similar to how English uses the past tense for unreal situations, as in 'As if I were...'.
Wait, doesn't pretende mean 'he pretends'? Why is it translated as 'he expects'?
Pretender is a classic 'false friend'. It almost never means 'to pretend' (which is usually fingir). Instead, it means 'to expect', 'to intend', or 'to claim'. Here, it means 'He expects', which expresses volition and triggers the present subjunctive (sepa) in the dependent clause.
Why isn't there an article before adivino? Shouldn't it be un adivino?