Breakdown of ¿Que la nuera no trae los cubiertos?
no
no / not
que
that (relative pronoun, conjunction)
traer
to bring
la nuera
the daughter-in-law
Questions & Answers about ¿Que la nuera no trae los cubiertos?
Why does this question start with Que instead of a normal question word?
In conversational Spanish, starting a question with Que is used to verify or repeat something you just heard. It acts like an echo question, meaning something like 'Are you saying that...?' or 'Did I hear correctly that...?'. Here, the speaker is expressing surprise or asking for confirmation about what they just heard.
Could I use Que si at the beginning of this sentence instead?
No, because Que si is used to echo a yes/no question that someone just asked you. Since the original statement being echoed here was likely a simple fact ('The daughter-in-law is not bringing the cutlery'), you just use Que to verify that statement.
Since the speaker seems surprised or is asking about someone else's action, shouldn't trae be in the subjunctive?
No, you use the indicative trae here because you are simply quoting or echoing what someone else just stated as a fact. You aren't introducing a new expression of doubt or emotion that would trigger the subjunctive, you are just verifying the exact words or meaning you heard.
Why is los cubiertos plural when the English translation uses the singular word 'cutlery'?
In Spanish, el cubierto refers to a single piece of silverware, like one fork or one knife. To refer to a set of silverware in general, you use the plural los cubiertos. English uses the uncountable noun 'cutlery' to express the same idea.