Can "cuando" trigger the past subjuntive?

Question

I have often seen explanations of when cuando triggers the subjunctive to only apply to the future, basically in the "as soon as" sense and then not triggering it in the "generally happens" case nor when using the accented version nor in the past.

However, in print I have seen it seemingly be used to trigger a past subjuntive.

Some examples:

Al igual que la fiscal Magallanes, el juez Vargas se comprometió a estudiar la denuncia y a pronunciarse cuando tuviera un criterio formado.

and

Había viajado a Washington para participar en una reunión organizada por Hernando de Soto con el Instituto Demócrata de los Estados Unidos a la que asistiría la Secretaria de Estado Madelaine Albright, y aproveché para llevar a mi hija Camila, de 11 años en ese entonces, para ir con ella a Disney cuando terminara el evento.

These examples are from the book: Caiga Quien Caiga by José Ugaz

I have included the complete sentences for context in case there is another reason the subjunctive has been triggered unrelated to cuando.

Is the subjuntive being triggered by cuando, something other than cuando or is this a grammatical error?

Answer 1

In these cases, it is still future. The problem I think you're having is thinking of the future as being relative to now, when there's also a future relative to the past. So in the given time lines, the event in subjunctive hasn't yet occurred, which applies the same concept as using the subjunctive in the present/future-of-present. If the verb in the cuando clause referred to habitual actions in the past, it would go in imperfect.

Answer 2

Yes, it can when the circumstance, as @guifa stated, being referred to "is a future relative to the past."

Al igual que la fiscal Magallanes, el juez Vargas se comprometió a estudiar la denuncia y a pronunciarse cuando tuviera un criterio formado.

Could also be:

Al igual que la fiscal Magallanes, el juez Vargas se comprometió a estudiar la denuncia y a pronunciarse cuando tuvo un criterio formado.

But the implication is different. The first statement is implying that there was a feeling of being unsure when he would complete the task. The latter is just telling a story in the past with no implication as to a special narrative occurring in relation to the completion of his task.

Answer 3

Both sentences you posted as narrated in the past tense. There could not possibly, therefore, be a future tense in them.

cuando triggers the present subjunctive when you are speaking in the present:

Me voy/marcharé cuando vuelvas.

1) So: Al igual que la fiscal Magallanes, el juez Vargas se comprometió a estudiar la denuncia y a pronunciarse cuando tuviera un criterio formado.

• Therefore, it could not be in the future.

An easier example: Me dijo tu hermano que cuando tuvieras terminado el trabajo, volverias.

BUT: Me dice tu hermano que cuando tengas terminado el trabajo, volverás.

Your brother told me that when he had finished the job, he would return.

2) [...] aproveché para llevar a mi hija Camila, de 11 años en ese entonces, para ir con ella a Disney cuando terminara el evento.

terminara is past subjunctive, not future [no accent on the a]

Answer 4

Let's imagine that a contemporary narrator describes the same Vargas story, with the main verb in the present tense:

El juez Vargas se está comprometiendo a pronunciarse cuando tenga un criterio formado.

If we now want to shift the main verb to the past, we have two choices for the "cuando" clause:

(a) El juez Vargas se comprometió a pronunciarse cuando tenga un criterio formado.

(b) El juez Vargas se comprometió a pronunciarse cuando tuviera un criterio formado.

We would use (a) right after a press conference; we would use (b) when describing events in a somewhat more distant past.

In the Disney example, only "terminara" would work, so I won't bother going through the shift and then shift back exercise. But I do recommend using this shifting technique to understand complex sentences with past tenses better.