Ten cuidado con lo que deseas.

[IlliniPatT]

English Translation

Be careful what you wish for.

this is a recommendation… why not ten cuidado con lo que desees?

[morbrorper]

I see this as a general recommendation, concerning both the present and the future.

Compare: “Ten cuidado con lo que comes” and “Ten cuidado con lo que comas en tu viaje”.

Disclaimer: I’m not a native speaker.

[IlliniPatT]

thanks for the thought. I think what puzzles me is that recommendations usually take the subjunctive.

[morbrorper]

I think you have to look beyond the fact that the main clause is a recommendation; what matters is the time scope of the subclause.