Cuando voy a Espana....

Question

In the quiz, the sentence was "When I go to Spain, I always go to the beach". - "___________ voy a Espana, siempre voy a la playa"

The answer is "Cuando" without an accent. In the lesson, it says that cuando without an accent is a relative adverb which introduces a depennt clause. In the above example, what is the dependent clause that "cuando" is introducing? I am not a gramarian, but it seems like both of the above clauses are independent. That may be incorrect, but could you please explain?

Accepted Answer

Hola Steven
In the sentence "Cuando voy a España, siempre voy a la playa", the word "cuando" is used as a subordinating conjunction introducing a dependent (subordinate) clause. Let me break down the sentence to clarify:

Independent Clause: "Siempre voy a la playa" (I always go to the beach)

Dependent Clause: "Cuando voy a España" (When I go to Spain)

The dependent clause "Cuando voy a España" cannot stand alone as a complete thought; it needs the independent clause to form a complete sentence. The relationship between the two clauses indicates a time or condition. The subordinating conjunction "cuando" introduces the time frame or condition under which the main action (going to the beach) takes place.
So, in summary, "cuando" is introducing the dependent clause that provides additional information about the time or circumstance in which the main action occurs.

I hope this clarifies your doubt.
 
Un saludo
 
Silvia