En que abran

Question

I have a question about this construction in one of the examples for this lesson:No veo la hora en que abran el nuevo centro comercial.I can't wait for the new shopping centre to open.Could you explain the use of "en que abran" (plural)?  I thought it should be "en que abra" (singular).  Does "abran" refer to unspecified "they"?  Thanks.

Accepted Answer

Hola Amy
you could use both "en que abra" or "en que abran" here in this sentence. If we use "en que abra" the subject would be "el nuevo centro comercial" (agreeing with the singular subject -> centro comercial / abra). But we used the plural "abran" referring to an impersonal "they" subject: "en que (ellos) abran el nuevo centro comercial". Here "ellos" refers to those in charge of the shopping centre, so the agreement is: ellos/ abran, and el nuevo centro comercial would be the direct object. 
I hope this clarified it.
Saludos
Inma