Just your average 68-year-old college freshman studying abroad.
It is with the last ounce of courage and an unbearable sorry that I subject you to “El Sueno Imposible.” Forgive me, but I hope to make a point.
Spanish is a language wrapped in the subjunctive. Without limiting yourself much, you can speak English for days and get by without using the subjunctive mood. But not Spanish.
The subjunctive is used to express what’s happening in the speaker’s mind — how he or she feels about something — not necessarily what’s real and true. Unlike German or Cantonese, two perfectly wonderful languages which sound like they don’t care about your dreams, Spanish has a wistful lilt. I grew up believing that Ricardo Montalban honestly did want me to have that pony.
We need to remember, though, that Spanish was used to enslave much of the indigenous world. “I wish we had more gold.” Isabella said to Ferdinand. Subjunctive and cold-blooded at the same time.
This, my friends, is a language worth studying.
