Breakdown of Al principio, a medida que leas la partitura, ten paciencia.
leer
to read
tener
to have
la paciencia
the patience
al principio
at first, at the beginning
a medida que
as
la partitura
the sheet music
Questions & Answers about Al principio, a medida que leas la partitura, ten paciencia.
Why do we use the subjunctive leas after a medida que here?
The phrase a medida que (as / at the same time as) requires the subjunctive when talking about a future or anticipated action. Because the main clause is a command (ten), the reading is an event that is going to happen, rather than an established fact.
What would it mean if we used the indicative lees instead?
Using the indicative lees would describe a habitual or ongoing fact. For example, A medida que lees, aprendes (As you read, you learn). However, because this specific sentence gives a future-focused command (ten paciencia), the indicative would clash with the anticipated nature of the reading.
Why is the command ten instead of the subjunctive tengas?
Ten is the affirmative informal (tú) imperative form of tener. Even though the sentence contains a subjunctive verb (leas) in the dependent clause, affirmative tú commands use their own specific forms. You would only use tengas if it were a negative command, like no tengas paciencia.
Why use al principio rather than en el principio?
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