Subordination - Complete Guide for Spanish Speakers

🎯 Why This Matters

Complex thinking.

Learning Outcome

Cohesive text.

🇪🇸 The Challenge

Word order in dependent clauses. Some languages move verbs to the end in subordinate clauses. English maintains SVO order throughout.

🇲🇽🇨🇴🇦🇷 Spanish word order flexibility

Problem: Spanish allows more flexible word order in clauses

Watch out: Moving elements around like in Spanish

✅ Fix: English is STRICT SVO in all clauses. Subject ALWAYS before verb.

🧠 Mental Note: No matter the conjunction, word order is: SUBJECT + VERB + OBJECT

✅ '...because HE WAS tired' NOT '...because was he tired'

🇪🇸 Same word order challenge

Problem: Castilian Spanish also allows flexible word order

Watch out: Trying to use Spanish clause structures in English

✅ Fix: Lock in SVO order. English never moves the verb before subject in statements.

'Cuando llegó él' → 'When HE ARRIVED' (not 'when arrived he')

🧠 Visual Explanation (The Mental Fix)

The Building Blocks

Think of sentences as LEGO structures with main and dependent blocks: 🏠 MAIN CLAUSE = Can stand alone - 'I went home.' 🧱 SUBORDINATE CLAUSE = Depends on main clause - '...because I was tired.' - '...when the rain started.' - '...if you help me.' SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS: ⏰ TIME: when, while, after, before, until, as soon as 🎯 REASON: because, since, as 🔀 CONDITION: if, unless, provided that 🎭 CONTRAST: although, though, even though, while WORD ORDER stays SVO: ✅ I left WHEN he ARRIVED ❌ I left when arrived he English keeps Subject-Verb-Object in ALL clauses!

English = SVO everywhere. Main clause, subordinate clause - always Subject before Verb.

🗣️ Pronunciation Guide

How Spanish speakers should pronounce this structure:

Linking clauses smoothly

Spanish Habit: Pausing heavily between clauses

English Reality: Subordinate clauses flow smoothly with main clause

Examples:

I'll call you when I arrive (smooth, no big pause)
Because I was tired, I went home

Practice: Don't pause too long at conjunctions. Let the sentence flow.

📖 How It Works

Text analysis and sentence combining exercises.

Learning Strategy

Teacher Recommendation: Teacher recommended

Time Investment: 5 hours

🔑 Signal Words (Memory Anchors)

These words/phrases appear with this structure:

English	Spanish	Example
because/since/as	porque/ya que	I left because I was tired
when/while/as	cuando/mientras	I saw him when I arrived
if/unless	si/a menos que	If you come, I'll be happy
although/though	aunque	Although it rained, we went out
so that/in order to	para que	I study so that I can pass

💬 Real Examples

Let's see this structure in action with correct vs incorrect usage:

Example 1: Time clauses

✅ CORRECT: "I'll call you when I arrive."

🇪🇸 Translation: "Te llamaré cuando llegue."

❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "I'll call you when arrive I."

Why wrong? Word order is SVO even in subordinate clauses: when I arrive

🇲🇽 LatAm Trap: Spanish word order is flexible. English is STRICT SVO.

Note: 'when I arrive' (present), not 'when I will arrive'

Example 2: Reason clauses

✅ CORRECT: "She stayed home because she was sick."

🇪🇸 Translation: "Se quedó en casa porque estaba enferma."

❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "She stayed home because sick she was."

Why wrong? After 'because', maintain SVO: because she was sick

🇲🇽 LatAm Trap: This one transfers well from Spanish!

Because, since, as = reason. Because is most common.

Example 3: Conditional clauses

✅ CORRECT: "If you study hard, you will pass."

🇪🇸 Translation: "Si estudias mucho, aprobarás."

❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "If study you hard, you will pass."

Why wrong? If-clause maintains SVO: if you study

First conditional: If + present, will + verb

✏️ Practice Exercises

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🚀 What to Study Next

More in "Syntax & Structure"

Conjunctions

Low

Direct Speech

Low

Clauses

Medium

Interrogatives

Medium

Passive Voice

Medium