Felipe VI is the new King of Spain. His father, King Juan Carlos I, helped transition Spain into a democracy and helped stop a military coup in 1981, but nowadays the monarchy has to find its mission in Spanish society. According to the Constitution, the monarch - Chief of State - has the role of representing Spain abroad and of certifying the laws approved by parliament. Besides fulfilling his professional obligations, Felipe has to take care of his and his family’s public image in order to gain the affection of the people. Here are some things that he has to do and some practice expressing obligation in Spanish.
To express obligation in Spanish, we can use deber (must, should) or tener que (have to). In general, TENER QUE + INFINITIVE is preferred. **Careful! Differently from English, in Spanish, NO TENER QUE + INFINITIVE means should not instead of don’t/doesn’t have to.
- El rey TIENE QUE TENER un comportamiento impecable (The king has to have impeccable behavior.)
- La reina TIENE QUE SER muy simpática. (The queen has to be very kind.)
- Los reyes TIENEN QUE VIAJAR por España (The kings have to travel around Spain.)
- El rey TIENE QUE DAR una imagen seria de España en el extranjero (The king has to give a serious image of Spain abroad.)
- Las hijas de los reyes TIENEN QUE ESTUDIAR en un colegio lo más normal posible. (The daughters of the kings have to study in as normal of a school as possible)
**- La reina no TIENE QUE LLEVAR demasiadas joyas. (The queen shouldn’t wear too much jewelry.)
- La familia real TIENE QUE VIVIR una vida sencilla. (The royal family has to live a simple life.)
- El rey TIENE QUE SER austero en sus gastos. (The king has to be austere in his expenses)
- El rey TIENE QUE DENUNCIAR la pobreza durante la presente crisis económica.(The king has to denounce poverty during the current economic crisis.)
- El rey TIENE QUE ESTAR al lado de los ciudadanos más vulnerables. (The king has to on the side of the most vulnerable citizens)
Only time will tell if good behavior will be enough to see the current 9-year-old heir of the throne become one day la Reina Leonor I (Queen Leonor I).
