Breakdown of Mi abuelo dice que fiar es una mala idea.
ser
to be
malo
bad
un
a, an, some
la idea
the idea
mi
my
el abuelo
the grandfather
que
that (relative pronoun, conjunction)
decir
to say / to tell
fiar
to sell on credit
Questions & Answers about Mi abuelo dice que fiar es una mala idea.
Why does this sentence use fiar instead of the pronominal form fiarse?
In this context, the non-pronominal fiar means to sell on credit or to lend. This is a classic semantic shift. If the grandfather were talking about trusting people, he would use the pronominal form fiarse, usually followed by the preposition de (for example, no hay que fiarse de los desconocidos meaning one shouldn't trust strangers).
Why is the verb es in the indicative instead of the subjunctive? Doesn't decir que trigger the subjunctive?
The verb decir only triggers the subjunctive when it acts as a command or request, such as telling someone to do something. Here, the grandfather is simply reporting a fact or stating an opinion, so the indicative es is the correct choice.
Could I put the adjective after the noun and say una idea mala?
Grammatically yes, but una mala idea is a very common set phrase. Placing adjectives like bueno or malo before the noun is typical when expressing a subjective judgment rather than an objective classification. Note that because mala is feminine, it doesn't drop its final vowel like the masculine malo does before a singular noun.
Why isn't there an article before fiar, such as el fiar?
In English, we use the gerund ending in -ing (selling on credit) as a noun, but Spanish uses the infinitive (fiar). While you occasionally see the masculine article el placed before an infinitive used as a subject, it is entirely optional and usually left out in everyday spoken Spanish.
Learn Mi abuelo dice que fiar es una mala idea and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free