Phrase · 🎓 Academic and professional discourse
Cabe preguntarse, por tanto, si la medida ha sido eficaz.
One may therefore ask whether the measure has been effective.
C2raising questions in argumentformalAudio · coming soon
Why every word is where it is
Cabe1verbone may (it fits)caber · present · 3rd sing.preguntarse1verbto ask oneselfpreguntar · infinitive,por3prepositionbytanto3adverbtherefore (so much),si2conjunctionwhetherladeterminertheel · fem. · sing. · definitemedidanounmeasurefem. · sing.haverbhashaber · present · 3rd sing.sidoverbbeenser · participle · masc. · sing.eficazadjectiveeffectivesing..
- Cabe → preguntarse: caber + infinitive
- preguntarse → si: preguntarse si
- por → tanto: por tanto
- eficaz → medida: eficaz describes la medida
Why it's built this way
The notes match the numbers above.
- 1cabe preguntarse = one may well ask: impersonal caber + infinitive, a rhetorical question in academic style. Formal register: impersonalisation, nominalisation and correspondence →
- 2si introduces an indirect yes/no question, with the indicative. Reported speech I and indirect questions →
- 3por tanto = therefore, set off by commas; = por lo tanto. Discourse markers C1 →
Variations
- Cabe preguntarse, por lo tanto, si la medida ha sido eficaz.
- Cabe, pues, preguntarse si la medida fue eficaz.
- Así las cosas, ¿ha sido eficaz la medida?