I've got several unrelated but really simple questions.
1. Spanish. Yo ya me sé las tablas de multiplicar. What is this "me" doing in front of "sé"? Would the sentence be grammatically correct without this "me"? If yes, what would be the difference in meaning between "Yo ya me sé las tablas de multiplicar" and "Yo ya sé las tablas de multiplicar"?
2. English. I've got a sentence: "The Subjunctive mood is extremely common in Spanish". I want to contrast Spanish and English using "unlike". Could I say "Unlike in English, the Subjunctive mood is extremely common in Spanish", or I should somehow change the structure of the sentence? After I insert this "Unlike in English", the sentence looks somewhat ugly to me.
3. English. "I think that this book is defending/defends a revolutionary position". Do you create any difference in meaning if you alternate "is defending" and "defends"? Do both version of the sentence sound naturally?
Thanks in advance for your help!