como + Subjunctive
If (Warning)
Use conditional 'como' + subjunctive for 'if', especially when warning about a consequence. A negative consequence is common, not a grammatical requirement.
How It Works
Conditional como + subjunctive means 'if'. It often introduces a warning or threat, especially in speech.
A Common Warning Pattern
Como + present subjunctive, consequence: Como llegues tarde otra vez, no te dejo salir el fin de semana. (If you arrive late again, I won't let you go out this weekend.) The present indicative in the consequence can refer to the future; a future form or the ir a future construction is also possible.
Tone Depends on Context
Warnings are common, but conditional 'como' is not grammatically restricted to negative outcomes. The related si + present indicative pattern can express neutral conditions or warnings too. Do not treat 'si' as always neutral or 'como' as always threatening.
Conditional and Causal Como
Compare Como no estudies, no vas a aprobar (If you don't study, you aren't going to pass) with Como no estudias, no vas a aprobar (Since you don't study, you aren't going to pass). Both sentences are grammatical: the subjunctive presents the condition, while the indicative states a reason here. Other uses of 'como', including manner clauses, have their own mood choices.
Examples (5)
- Como no hagas la tarea, no puedes ver la televisión.
If you don't do your homework, you can't watch TV.
Word by Word: If you not do the homework, not you can watch the television.
- Como sigas hablándome en ese tono, me voy a enfadar mucho.
If you keep talking to me in that tone, I'm going to get very angry.
Word by Word: If you continue talking to me in that tone, I am going to get angry a lot.
- ¡Como pierdas esas llaves, no entramos en casa!
If you lose those keys, we're not getting in the house!
Word by Word: If you lose those keys, not we enter in house!
- Como no me digas la verdad ahora mismo, no te volveré a creer nunca.
If you don't tell me the truth right now, I will never believe you again.
Word by Word: If not me you tell the truth right now, not you I will believe again never.
- Como el equipo no mejore su juego, perderá el campeonato.
If the team doesn't improve its game, it will lose the championship.
Word by Word: If the team not improve its game, it will lose the championship.
Common Mistakes
Using causal indicative 'como' when the intended meaning is the condition 'if'.
Como no estudias, no vas a aprobar.Como no estudies, no vas a aprobar.Both examples are grammatical. 'Como no estudias' states a reason ('since you don't study'); 'como no estudies' sets a condition ('if you don't study'). Use the subjunctive for the intended conditional warning, rather than labelling the causal sentence ungrammatical.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use 'como' for threats or warnings, you first need to learn the present subjunctive forms, as this construction functions as a conditional 'if' that triggers the subjunctive mood. Familiarity with standard 'si' clauses is also helpful to understand the conditional logic behind the warning.
- -a/-as/-a/-amos/-áis/-anPresent Subjunctive -ER/-IR
The learner must be able to conjugate -er and -ir verbs in the present subjunctive to form the threat structure.
Level 3 - si + Present + Future/PresentReal Si Clauses (Present)
Understanding basic conditional 'if' clauses provides the conceptual foundation for using 'como' as a conditional warning.
Level 3
Related Patterns
- -e/-es/-e/-emos/-éis/-enPresent Subjunctive -AR
This pattern requires the present subjunctive. Understanding how to form subjunctive verbs is essential for using 'como' to give warnings correctly.
Level 3 - a menos que/sin que/con tal de que + SubjunctiveSubjunctive Conjunctions
These conjunctions also take the subjunctive, but their meanings differ: 'a menos que' gives an exception, 'con tal de que' a condition, and 'sin que' the absence of an action or situation.
Level 3 - para que + SubjunctiveSo That (Purpose)
This structure, meaning 'so that', also mandatorily triggers the subjunctive to express purpose. It helps learners recognize that specific conjunctions like 'como' (for warnings) and 'para que' (for purpose) require a mood shift to the subjunctive.
Level 3 - no sea que/no vaya a ser que + SubjunctiveLest/In Case
This is another structure used for warnings, meaning 'lest' or 'in case'. It expresses a fear that something negative might happen as a consequence of an action, similar to the warning nature of 'como + subjunctive'.
Level 5
Words in This Pattern
Practice como + Subjunctive in Bubblegum
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