Subjunctive
1
Subjunctive 1
The subjunctive is not a tense; rather, it is a
mood. Tense refers to when an action takes place (Past, Present,
Future), while mood merely reflects how the speaker feels
about the action.
Note: The difference between "indicative"
and "subjunctive" is the difference between certainty/objectivity
(indicative) and possibility/subjectivity (subjunctive).
Indicative:
Paola va a la escuela - Paola goes to school
(This sentence merely states
the certain, objective fact that Paola goes to the school.)
Yo sé que Paola va a
la escuela - I know that Paola
goes to school.
(The clause “I know” tells us
that the speaker feels that it is a certain, objective fact that Paola goes to
the school.)
No hay duda de que Paola va a
la escuela - There is no doubt
that Paola goes to school.
(The clause “there is no
doubt” tells us that the speaker feels that it is a certain, objective fact
that Paola goes to the school.)
Subjunctive:
Yo quiero que Paola vaya
a la escuela - I want Paola to
go to school.
(The clause “I want” tells us
that the speaker feels that there is uncertainty as to whether Paola goes to
the school.)
Yo espero que Paola vaya
a la escuela - I hope that
Paola goes to school
(The clause “I hope” tells us
that the speaker feels that there is uncertainty as to whether Paola goes to
the school.)
Es possible que Paola vaya
a la escuela - It is possible
that Paola will go to school.
(The clause “it is possible”
tells us that the speaker feels that there is uncertainty as to whether Paola
goes to the school.)
Es bueno que Paola vaya
a la escuela - It’s good that
Paola goes to school
(The clause “it’s good” alerts
us that the speaker is about to express a subjective opinion.)
Es importante que Paola vaya
a la escuela - It’s important
that Paola goes to school.
(The clause “it’s important”
alerts us that the speaker is about to express a subjective opinion.)
Note: Because there must be some uncertainty
or subjectivity to warrant the use of the subjunctive, you will usually see it
in sentences that contain a main clause which introduces a quality of
uncertainty or subjectivity.
Yo espero - I
hope...she will come.
I hope = main clause
Yo sé - I
know ...she will come.
I know = main clause
Yo siento - I
feel... she will come.
I feel = main clause.
The following is a list of clauses commonly associated with
the use of the subjunctive:
a menos que -
unless
antes
(de) que - before…
con tal
(de) que -
provided that
cuando - when…
conviene
que - it is
advisable that
después
(de) que -
after
dudar
que - to doubt
that
en caso
de que - in
case
en
cuanto - as
soon as
es
aconsejable que - it’s
advisable that
es
bueno que -
it’s good that
es
difícil que -
it’s unlikely that
es
dudoso que - it
is doubtful that
es
fácil que -
it’s likely that
es
fantástico que -
it’s fantastic that
es
importante que -
it’s important that
es
imposible que -
it’s impossible that
es
improbable que -
it’s unlikely that
es
incierto que -
it’s uncertain that
es
increíble que -
it’s incredible that
es
(una) lástima que - it’s
a pity that
es malo
que - it’s bad
that
es
mejor que -
it’s better that
es
menester que -
it’s necessary that
es
necesario que -
it’s necessary that
esperar
que - to wish
that
es
posible que - it’s
possible that
es
preciso que -
it’s necessary that
es
preferible que -
it’s preferable that
es
probable que - it’s
probable that
es raro
que - it’s
rare that
es
ridículo que -
it’s ridiculous that
estar
contento que - to
be happy that
es
terrible que -
it’s terrible that
hasta
que -
until
insistir
en que - to
insist that
mandar
que - to
order that
más
vale que - it’s
better that
mientras
que -
while
negar
que - to deny
that
no
creer que -
not to believe that
no es
cierto que - it’s
not certain that
no
estar convencido de que -
to not be convinced that
no
estar seguro de que - to
not be sure that
no es
verdad que -
it’s not true that
no
imaginarse que - to
not imagine that
no
parecer que -
to not seem that
no
pensar que - to
not think that
no
suponer que - to
not suppose that
ojalá
que - if only
he would
para
que - in order that
pedir
que - to ask
that
preferir
que - to
prefer that
prohibir
que - to
prohibit that
puede
ser que - it
may be that
querer
que - to want
that
recomendar
que - to
recommend that
rogar
que - to plead
that
sentir
que - to
regret that
sin que
-
without
sugerir
que - to
suggest that
tan
pronto como -
as soon as
temer
que - to fear
that
tener
miedo de que -
to be afraid that
Expressions with which the subjunctive
is "not" used
creer que - to
believe that
no
dudar que - to
not doubt that
es
cierto que - it
is certain that
es
claro que - it
is clear that
es
evidente que -
it is certain that
es
obvio que - it
is obvious that
estar
seguro que -
to be sure that
es
verdad que -
it is true that
no cabe
duda que -
there’s no doubt that
no es
dudoso que -
it is not doubtful that
no hay
duda que -
there is no doubt that
Subjunctive 2
In this lesson you will begin to learn how to conjugate
verbs in the Present subjunctive.
For most verbs, the Present subjunctive is formed by
following these three steps:
- Start
with the yo form of the Present indicative.
- Then
drop the - o ending.
- Finally,
add the following endings:
Subject-hablar (to
speak) / comer (to eat) / vivir (to live)
Yo
(I)-habl+e / com+a / viv+a
Tú
(You)(informal)-habl+es / com+as / viv+as
Usted
(You)(formal)-habl+e / com+a / viv+a
Él/Ella(He/She)-habl+e / com+a / viv+a
Nosotros(as)(We)-habl+emos / com+amos / viv+amos
Vosotros(as)(You)(informal)-habl+éis / com+áis / viv+áis
Ustedes(You)(formal)-habl+en / com+an / viv+an
Ellos(as)(they)-habl+en / com+an / viv+an
Note: The formula
also works for verbs that have irregular “yo” forms in the Present indicative.
conocer (yo conozco)
conozco – o = conozc
tener (yo tengo)
tengo – o = teng
salir (yo salgo)
salgo – o = salg
Subject
Yo
(I)-conozc +a / teng +a / salg +a
Tú
(You)(Informal)-conozc +as / teng +as / salg +as
Usted
(You)(Formal)-conozc +a / teng +a / salg +a
Él/Ella(He/She)-conozc
+a / teng +a / salg +a
Nosotros(as)(We)-conozc
+amos / teng +amos / salg +amos
Vosotros(as)(You)(Informal)-conozc
+áis / teng +áis / salg +áis
Ustedes(You)(Formal)-conozc
+an / teng +an / salg +an
Ellos(as)(They)-conozc
+ an / teng +en / salg +en
Note: For "-
ar" and "- er" stem-changing verbs, the formula applies except
that there is no stem change in the "nosotros" and
"vosotros" forms.
pensar (yo pienso)
pienso – o = piens
perder (yo pierdo)
pierdo – o = pierd
Subject
Yo
(I)-piens +e / pierd+a
Tú
(You)(Informal)-piens +es / pierd+as
Usted
(You)(Formal)-piens +e / pierd+a
Él/Ella(He/She)-piens
+e / pierd+a
Nosotros(as)(We)-pens
+emos / perd+amos
Vosotros(as)(You)(Informal)-pens
+éis / perd+áis
Ustedes(You)(Formal)-piens
+en / pierd+an
Ellos(as)(They)-piens
+en / pierd+an
contar (yo cuento)
cuento – o = cuent
volver (yo vuelvo)
vuelvo – o = vuelv
Subject
Yo
(I)-cuent +e / vuelv +a
Tú
(You)(Informal)-cuent +es / vuelv +as
Usted
(You)(Formal)-cuent +e / vuelv +a
Él/Ella(He/She)-cuent
+e / vuelv+a
Nosotros(as)(We)-cont
+emos / volv +amos
Vosotros(as)(You)(Informal)-cont
+éis / volv +áis
Ustedes(You)(Formal)-cuent
+en / vuelv +an
Ellos(as)(They)-cuent
+en / vuelv +an
Note: For
"-ir" stem-changing verbs, the formula applies except that the stem
change in the "nosotros" and "vosotros" forms follows these
patterns: "o:ue" verbs change "o" to "u";
"e:ie" verbs change "e" to "i"; "e:i"
verbs change "e" to "i".
dormir (yo duermo)
duermo – o = duerm
sentir (yo siento)
siento – o = sient
pedir (yo pido)
pido – o = pid
Subject
Yo
(I)-duerm +a / sient +a / pid +a
Tú
(You)(Informal)-duerm +as / sient +as / pid +as
Usted
(You)(Formal)-duerm +a / sient +a / pid +a
Él/Ella(He/She)-duerm
+a / sient +a / pid +a
Nosotros(as)(We)-durm
+amos / sint +amos / pid +amos
Vosotros(as)(You)(Informal)-durm
+áis / sint +áis / pid +áis
Ustedes(You)(Formal)-duerm
+an / sient +an / pid +an
Ellos(as)(They)-duerm
+en / sient +en / pid +en
Subjunctive 3
Note: For verbs that end in "-zar",
the
"z" changes to "c" when
it comes before the letter "e"
empezar (e:ie) (to start)
Subject - Empezar (to
start)
Yo (I) - empiece
Tú (You)(Informal) - empieces
Usted (You)(Formal) - empiece
Él/Ella(He/She) - empiece
Nosotros(as)(We) - empecemos
Vosotros(as)(You)(Informal) - empecéis
Ustedes(You)(Formal) - empiecen
Ellos(as)(They) - empiecen
Note: For
verbs that end in "-ger" or "-gir",
the "g" changes to "j" when it comes
before the letter "a".
escoger (to choose)
Subject - Escoger (to choose)
Yo (I) - escoja
Tú (You)(Informal) - escojas
Usted (You)(Formal) - escoja
Él/Ella(He/She) - escoja
Nosotros(as)(We) - escojamos
Vosotros(as)(You)(Informal) - escojáis
Ustedes(You)(Formal )- escojan
Ellos(as)(They) - escojan
elegir (e:i) (to choose)
Subject-Eligir ( to choose)
Yo (I)-elija
Tú (You)(Informal)-elijas
Usted (You)(Formal)-elija
Él/Ella(He/She)-elija
Nosotros(as)(We)-elijamos
Vosotros(as)(You)(Informal)-elijáis
Ustedes(You)(Formal)-elijan
Ellos(as)(They)-elijan
Note: For verbs that end
in "-guir", the "gu" changes to "g" when
it comes before the letter "a".
seguir (e:i) (to follow)
Subject-Seguir (to follow)
Yo (I)-siga
Tú (You)(Informal)-sigas
Usted (You)(Formal)-siga
Él/Ella(He/She)-siga
Nosotros(as)(We)-sigamos
Vosotros(as)(You)(Informal)-sigáis
Ustedes(You)(Formal)-sigan
Ellos(as)(They)-sigan
Note: For verbs that end
in "-car", the "c" changes to "qu" when
it comes before the letter "e".
buscar (to search)
Subject-Buscar (to search)
Yo (I)-busque
Tú (You)(Informal)-busques
Usted (You)(Formal)-busque
Él/Ella(He/She)-busque
Nosotros(as)(We)-busquemos
Vosotros(as)(You)(Informal)-busquéis
Ustedes(You)(Formal)-busquen
Ellos(as)(They)-busquen
Note: For verbs that end
in "-gar", the "g" changes to "gu" when
it comes before the letter "e".
pagar (to pay)
Subject-Pagar (to
pay)
Yo (I)-pague
Tú (You)(Informal)-pagues
Usted (You)(Formal)-pague
Él/Ella(He/She)-pague
Nosotros(as)(We)-paguemos
Vosotros(as)(You)(Informal)-paguéis
Ustedes(You)(Formal)-paguen
Ellos(as)(They)-paguen
Note: For verbs that end
in "uir", add the letter "y" before the
letter "a".
huir (to run away)
Subject-Huir (to run away)
Yo (I)-huya
Tú (You)(Informal)-huyas
Usted (You)(Formal)-huya
Él/Ella(He/She)-huya
Nosotros(as)(We)-huyamos
Vosotros(as)(You)(Informal)-huyáis
Ustedes(You)(Formal)-huyan
Ellos(as)(They)-huyan
Subjunctive 4
Here are the six verbs that are irregular in the Present
subjunctive:
dar – to give
Subject-Dar (to give)
Yo (I)-dé
Tú (You)(Informal)-des
Usted (You)(Formal)-dé
Él/Ella(He/She)-dé
Nosotros(as)(We)-demos
Vosotros(as)(You)(Informal)-deis
Ustedes(You)(Formal)-den
Ellos(as)(They)-den
estar – to be
Subject-Estar (to be)
Yo (I)-esté
Tú (You)(Informal)-estés
Usted (You)(Formal)-esté
Él/Ella(He/She)-esté
Nosotros(as)(We)-estemos
Vosotros(as)(You)(Informal)-estéis
Ustedes(You)(Formal)-estén
Ellos(as)(They)-estén
haber – to have (auxiliary verb)
Subject-Haber (to have)
Yo (I)-haya
Tú (You)(Informal)-hayas
Usted (You)(Formal)-haya
Él/Ella(He/She)-haya
Nosotros(We)-hayamos
Vosotros(as)(You)(Informal)-hayáis
Ustedes(You)(Formal)-hayan
Ellos(as)(They)-hayan
ir – to go
Subject-Ir (to go)
Yo (I)-vaya
Tú (You)(Informal)-vayas
Usted (You)(Formal)-vaya
Él/Ella(He/She)-vaya
Nosotros(as)(We)-vayamos
Vosotros(as)(You)(Informal)-vayáis
Ustedes(You)(Formal)-vayan
Ellos(as)(They)-vayan
saber – to know
Subject-Saber(to know)
Yo (I)-sepa
Tú (You)(Informal)-sepas
Usted (You)(Formal)-sepa
Él/Ella(He/She)-sepa
Nosotros(as)(We)-sepamos
Vosotros(as)(You)(Informal)-sepáis
Ustedes(You)(Formal)-sepan
Ellos(as)(They)-sepan
ser – to be
Subject-Ser(to be)
Yo (I)-sea
Tú (You)(Informal)-seas
Usted (You)(Formal)-sea
Él/Ella(He/She)-sea
Nosotros(as)(We)-seamos
Vosotros(as)(You)(Informal)-seáis
Ustedes(You)(Formal)-sean
Ellos(as)(They)-sean
Subjunctive 5
List of common expressions that introduce an aspect of
desire to the sentence, and therefore trigger the use of the subjunctive.
esperar que - to wish that
insistir en que - to insist that
mandar que - to order that
preferir que - to prefer that
prohibir que - to prohibit that
querer que - to want that
es aconsejable que - it’s advisable that …
es necesario que - it’s necessary that
pedir que - to ask that
recomendar que - to recommend that
rogar que - to plead that
sugerir que - to suggest that
List of expressions that trigger the use of the indicative
mood, since they introduce a quality of certainty or objectivity.
creer que - to believe that
no dudar que - to not doubt that
estar seguro que - to be sure that
no es dudoso que - it is not doubtful that
no hay duda que - there is no doubt that
Subjunctive 6
Here is a list of common expressions that introduce an
aspect of ignorance or doubt to the sentence, and therefore trigger the use of
the subjunctive.
dudar que - to
doubt that
es dudoso que - it
is doubtful that
es improbable que - it’s
unlikely that
es incierto que - it’s
uncertain that
es posible que -
it’s possible that
no creer que - not
to believe that
no es cierto que - it’s
not certain that
no estar convencido de que - to
not be convinced that
no estar seguro de que - to
not be sure that
no parecer que - to
not seem that
no pensar que -
to not think that
no suponer que - to
not suppose that
puede ser que - it
may be that
negar que - to
deny that
no es verdad que -
it’s not true that
no es cierto que -
it’s not certain that
no imaginarse que - to
not imagine that
temer que - to
suspect that
There are also expressions that trigger the use of the
indicative mood, since they introduce a quality of certainty.
no dudo que - to
not doubt that
estar seguro de que - to
be certain that
creer que - to
think that
no negar que - to
not deny that
es verdad que - it’s
true that
Subjunctive 7
Here is a list of common impersonal expressions that
introduce an aspect of uncertainty or subjectivity, and therefore trigger the
use of the subjunctive.
conviene que -
it is advisable that
es aconsejable que - it
is advisable that
es bueno que -
it’s good that
es difícil que - it’s
unlikely that
es dudoso que - it’s
doubtful that
es fácil que - it’s
likely that
es fantástico que - it’s
fantastic that
es importante que - it’s
important that
es imposible que - it’s
impossible that
es improbable que -
it’s unlikely that
es incierto que - it’s
uncertain that
es increíble que -
it’s incredible that
es (una) lástima que - it’s
a shame that
es malo que - it’s
bad that
es mejor que - it’s
better that
es menester que - it’s
necessary that
es necesario que - it’s
necessary that
es posible que -
it’s possible that
es preciso que - it’s
necessary that
es preferible que -
it’s preferable that
es probable que - it’s
likely that
es raro que - it’s
rare that
es ridículo que - it’s
ridiculous that
es terrible que - it’s
terrible that
más vale que - it’s
better that
ojalá que - if
only he would
puede ser que - it
could be that
There are also impersonal expressions that trigger the use
of the indicative mood, since they introduce a quality of certainty or
objectivity.
es evidente que -
it is certain that
es obvio que - it
is obvious that
es verdad que -
it’s true that
no es dudoso que - it
is not doubtful that
no hay duda que - there
is no doubt that
Subjunctive 8
