Breakdown of Una vez que firmes el contrato, ya no podrás cambiarlo.
poder
to be able to
firmar
to sign
lo
it / him (m)
cambiar
to change / to exchange, to swap (one thing for another)
el contrato
the contract
ya no
no longer, not any more
una vez que
once (conjunction)
Questions & Answers about Una vez que firmes el contrato, ya no podrás cambiarlo.
Why is firmes in the subjunctive here instead of the indicative firmas?
We use the subjunctive after time expressions like una vez que (once) when referring to a future, pending action. Because the signing hasn't happened yet, the subjunctive firmes is required.
Could I drop the que and just say una vez firmes?
No, you need que to connect una vez to a conjugated verb like firmes. However, you can drop the que if you use a past participle instead, which is very common in Spanish: una vez firmado el contrato (once the contract is signed).
How does ya no work here to mean "anymore"?
Could the pronoun lo go somewhere else in the sentence?
Yes! When you have a conjugated verb followed by an infinitive (like podrás cambiar), the object pronoun can either be attached to the end of the infinitive (cambiarlo) or placed right before the conjugated verb (ya no lo podrás cambiar). Both are completely natural in Spain.
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