Subjunctive Mood

grammar.spanishintexas.org/verbs/subjunctive/

Subjunctive forms from the Spanish in Texas Corpus

The subjunctive (subjuntivo) is one of three moods in Spanish (indicative, imperative, and
subjunctive). A mood is a grammatical term which helps categorize verb tenses. The
subjunctive mood is used more frequently in Spanish than in English. It has two simple
tenses, present and past (or imperfect), and two compound tenses, present perfect and
pluperfect. It expresses several concepts, such as a wish, hope, or doubt, as well as an
obligation or a necessity. One such expression which is always followed by the subjunctive is
para que… so that…

Siempre le danzábamos…para que la cosecha fuera buena.

We always danced for her… so that the harvest was good.
Because the subjunctive often occurs in subordinate clauses, the subordinating
conjunction que is usually found before the the subjunctive forms.

Quieren que yo les haga un trabajo.

They want me to do a job for them.

Main Uses

Will, Desire, and Orders

The subjunctive is used in dependent clauses after expressions of will, desire, and orders
whenever there are two different subjects in the two clauses linked by the subordinating
conjunction que. Here is a list of common verbs expressing will and desire:

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 querer to want
que that …

pedir to ask
que that …

preferir to prefer
que that …

ordenar to order
que that …

esperar to hope
que that …

mandar to order
que that…

desear to desire
que that …

exigir to
que require
that …

Espero que el español se vuelva tal vez otro idioma oficial de los Estados Unidos.
I hope that Spanish becomes maybe another official language in the United States.

Emotions and Reactions

The subjunctive is used after expressions of emotion and reactions to something. Remember
that the subjunctive is found in the subordinate clause of sentences that contain a change of
subject from the main clause to the subordinate clause. A very common structure that
triggers the subjunctive is es + adjective + que expressing opinions. Here is a list of
common expressions of emotion with which the subjunctive is found in the subordinate
clause:

me gusta que I like that es fundamental que it is key that

me molesta que it annoys me that sentir que to be sorry that

me encanta que I am delighted that es bueno que it is good that

me sorprende que I am surprised that es inútil que it is useless that

es bonito que it is nice that temer que to fear that

es importante que it is important that es urgente que it is urgent that

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 es triste que it is sad that tener miedo de que to fear that

es justo que it is fair that es absurdo que it is absurd that

Es muy bonito que sepan los dos idiomas.

It is very nice that they speak both languages.
The expressions es cierto que, it is true that, es obvio que, it is obvious that, es verdad
que, it is true that, and es evidente que, it is evident that are exceptions since they are
followed by the indicative and not by the subjunctive.

Es verdad que hay ciertos principios que uno puede aplicar.

It is true that there are some principles that one can apply.
However, when these expressions are used in the negative, in the subordinate clause
the subjunctive is used.

No es evidente que tengas razón. It is not evident that you are right.

Negative Opinions and Doubt

The subjunctive occurs in dependent clauses introduced by verbs and expressions of doubt
or negative opinions whenever there are two different subjects in the two clauses linked by
the subordinating conjunction que. Here is a list of common expressions of negative opinion
and doubt with which the subjunctive is found in the subordinate clause:

no creer que to not believe that …

no pensar que to not think that …

dudar que to doubt that …

no opinar que to not think that …

no me/te/le/nos/les parece que it doesn’t seem to me/you/him that…

La verdad no, no creo que eso sea correcto.

Actually no, I do not think this is fair.
Remember that such expressions of opinion, when used in affirmative statements, are
followed by the indicative.

Creo que voy a quedarme con una familia para que pueda practicar español en la casa.
I think I will stay with a family so that I can practice Spanish at home.

Conjunctions with Subjunctive

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When the following conjunctions introduce a subordinate clause with a new subject, they
always trigger the subjunctive. Remember that the subjects of the subordinate clause and of
the main clause are different.

para que so that

sin que without

a menos que unless that

con tal de que provided that

antes de que before that

a fin de que in order that

quizás maybe

ojalá hopefully

tal vez maybe

A menos que a usted le guste pizza de papel o de cartón no lo recomiendo…

Unless you like paper or cardboard pizza I would not recommend it.
After the connector aunque (although), both the indicative and the subjunctive can be
used.

Aunque toda mi vida he vivido aquí en los Estados Unidos.

Although all my life I have lived here in the United Sates. Aunque crezcas entre la
pobreza, aunque crezcas entre la ignorancia, aunque crezcas entre gente que, entre las
pandillas ah… no es excusa alguna como para que tú decidas hacer decisiones incorrectas
en tu vida.
Although you grow up among poverty, although you grow up among ignorance, although
you grow up among people that, among gangs uh… that is not an excuse for choosing to
make wrong decisions in your life.
Time expressions also require the subjunctive, when they refer to a future event.

cuando when

hasta que until

en cuanto as soon as

tan pronto como as soon as

después de que after

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Repito y repito la palabra hasta que me salga bien.
I repeat the word again and again until it sounds right.

Si (If) Clauses

The subjunctive is also used in some hypothetical clauses with si (if) along with the
conditional or the past conditional.

Si hubiera ahorrado más, ahora tendría más dinero. If I had saved more, now I would have
had more money.

For more uses of the subjunctive mood and to learn more about which subjunctive tense you
should use, see also the page about tense sequences.

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