You will
find that with all the wonderful structure there
is still room for misunderstanding
a) I thought
he would rob the bank (and now he really did
it).
b) I thought he would rob the bank (when he
is out of money).
These
two sentences are not equal
a) describes
a fact (in consecutio temporum = action after
mental involvement)
b) is an expression of presumption, which
means I thought he would
rob the bank can be understood in
two different ways.
In
Spanish we have the same issue
a) Creí
que robaría el banco y de hecho lo
hizo.
b) Creí que robaría el banco
si no tuviera dinero.
The differentiation between the fact and the presumption
can only be done by the context not on pure grammar.
Iba
a + infinitive instead of condicional simple
Creí
que iba a ganar mucho dinero. = I thought that
he would earn much money.
Dijo que iba a venir. = He said that
he would come.
And another special case (one of the exceptions that
prove the rule)
Indefinido
after expression of a sensation
Vi que se había
comprado un pan = Vi que se compró
un pan.
= I saw that he had bought bread = I saw
that he bought bread.
After a verb of sensation (to see, feel, hear, taste,
smell) the main clause can have the indefinido
instead of the plusquamperfecto.
You will have to admit that it is not as complicated
as it looked in the beginning. Ok, we have to admit
that the subjuntivo does not really help to ease a learner's
life. However, everything else is identical with the English
logic.
