ENGLISH AND SPANISH SUBJUNCTIVE EXPLANATION
In English we don’t often conjugate in the subjunctive. When we use 2
subjects the verb is usually in the infinitive.
Ex. I want you to buy me those sunglasses.
In Spanish the verb MUST BE CONJUGATED if the subject of the 2nd verb is
different from the 1st/main verb. 2 verbs with different subjects must be
joined by “que.”
Ex. Yo quiero que tú me compres esas gafas del sol.
If the subject of both verbs is the same the second verb is usually in the
infinitive.
Ex. Yo quiero comprar esas gafas del sol.
Subjunctive mood for hopes and wishes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
You’ve used verb tenses(past, present, future) and also the imperative
and indicative moods. The imperative is used in commands. The
indicative is used to report facts or things you consider certain. The
subjunctive mood is used to talk about things you hope or wish for.
You’ve used que to join two sentences with different subjects and verbs
in the indicative.
When one sentence is joined to another sentence that expresses a
hope or wish, the verb after que is in the subjunctive. Verbs that
express hopes and wishes are querer, esperar, and preferir.
To form the present subjunctive, add the following endings to the stem
of the present indicative yo form. Verbs with yo forms ending in –go or
–zco also form the subjunctive this way.
Ir and ser are irregular in the subjunctive. Most –ar and –er stemchanging verbs have the same stem change in their present subjunctive
forms.
SUBJUNCTIVE OF STEM-CHANGING –IR AND IRREGULAR VERB
1. Always use the subjunctive mood after ojalá que (I hope, I wish).
Ex. Ojalá que (nosotros) volvamos algún día.
I hope we come back some day.
2. The subjunctive froms of stem-changing –ir verbs have the following stem
changes. The endings are regular.
dormir (o
ue,u) sentirse (e
sienta
sientas
sienta
sintamos
sintáis
sientan
duerma
duermas
duerma
durmamos
durmáis
duerman
ie,i)
pedir (e
pida
pidas
pida
pidamos
ir
vaya
vayas
vaya
volver
ser
pidáis
vayamos
vayáis
vayan
pidan
vuelva
volvamos
vuelvas
volváis
vuelva
vuelvan
sea
seamos
seas
seáis
seas
sean
i)
subjunctive of the verbs listed below, add the following endings to the stem.
The verbs estar and dar have irregular endings. The verb haber has only one
form: haya.
estar
saber
dar
esté
estés
dé
esté
des
estemos
dé
estéis
demos
estén
deis
sepa
sepas
sepa
sepamos
sapáis
sapan
den
SUBJUNCTIVE FOR GIVING ADVICES AND
OPINIONS & -ZAR, -CAR, -GAR, -GER, AND GUIR VERBS
***REMEMBER***
The subjunctive must meet all three of these rules:
1. 1st subject and verb
2. que
3. 2nd subject and verb (different from the first)
1. IMPERSONAL EXPRESSIONS: Use the subjunctive form of a verb after
these expressions for giving advice or an opinion. In these expressions,
the verb ser is always conjugated in the third person singular.
Es mejor que...
Es buena idea que…
to
Es importante que…
It’s better for you (him, her…) to
It’s a good idea for you (him, her…)
It’s important for you (him, her…) to
Ex. Es mejor que hagamos una reservación temprano.
It’s better for us to make a reservation early on.
2. RECOMMENDATIONS: Use the subjunctive form of a verb after the
following expressions for giving advice.
Aconsejarle (a alguien) que...
To advise someone to…
Recomendarle (a alguien) que… to recommend that someone…
Sugerirle (a alguien) que…
to suggest that someone…
Ex.
Les recomiendo que vayan al Teatro Colón
I recommend going (that you go) to the Teatro Colón.
Ex.
Te aconsejan que tomes el subte.
They advise you to take the subway.
- These sentences are considered the unknown and hypothetical
because you are telling someone what you think they should do, you are
giving them a hypothetical situation in which they are doing something,
you don’t know that they will do what you suggest, but it is just your
advice.
3. Verbs ending in –car, –gar, –zar, –ger, and –guir have spelling changes in
the subjunctive. They have regular endings however.
-car
-gar
-zar
-ger
-guir
buscar
llegar
empezar
recoger
seguir
yo busco
yo llego
yo empiezo
él escoge
ella sigue
que yo busque
que yo llegue
que yo empiece
que él recoja
que ella siga
SUBJUNCTIVE WITH THE UNKNOWN OR NONEXISTENT
You already know that the indicative is generally used to talk about what is;
where as the subjunctive is often used to talk about what should be, or what
people think about what is.
INDICATIVE – Alonso puede ser muy terco pero es generoso y leal también.
(Alonso can be very terse/ curt but is also generous and loyal.)
SUBJUNCTIVE – Espero que Alonso sea generoso y leal conmigo.
(I hope Alonso is generous and loyal with me.)
In certain situations the subjunctive is used to talk about what is not. It is
used after expressions like “No hay nadie/nada que…” when the person or
thing referred to (a.k.a. “the antecedent”) is nonexistent.
SUBJUNCTIVE – No hay nadie que confíe en Marcos.
(Nobody trusts Marcos.)
No ha nada que me fastidie más que un chiste grosero.
(Nothing bothers me more than a rude/crude joke.)
In other situations, the speaker doesn’t know what is. He or she may be
looking for someone or something with certain qualities, without having
anyone or anything particular in mind. The antecedent is unknown.
SUBJUNCTIVE – Busco una novia que sea abierta y amigable.
(I am looking for a girlfriend that is open and kind.)
¿Conoces a alguien que hable francés?
(Do you know anyone who speaks French?)
Quiero comprarte algo que te guste.
(I want to buy you something you like.)
SUBJUNCTIVE WITH EXPRESSIONS OF FEELINGS
The subjunctive is used in the subordinate clause after certain expression of
feelings in the main clause, when there is a change of subject.
SUBJUNCTIVE – Me alegra que vengan mis amigos a nuestras fiestas.
(I am glad that my friends come to our parties.)
SUBJUNCTIVE- Siento que lleguemos tan tarde.
( I feel that we arrived so late.)
Some expressions of feeling that are followed by the subjunctive include:

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




Me alegra que - I’m happy/ I’m glad that…
Me gusta que - I like that…
Me molesta que - It bothers me that…
Me frustra que – It frustrates me that…
Me sorprende que – It surprises me that…
Me preocupa que – It worries me that…
Siento que – I feel that…
 Me irrita que – It irritates me that…
 Me pone triste (or any other emotion) – It makes me sad that
However, if the clause states a fact or belief, the indicative is used in the
subordinate clause. If there is no change of subject, an infinitive is used.
INDICATIVE - Pienso que mi novia va a romper conmigo.
(I think that my girlfriend is going to breakup with me.)
INDICATIVE – Me molesta llegar tarde.
(It bothers me to arrive late.)
Subjunctive with Negation Or Denial
The subjunctive is used when the first clause in a sentence expresses negation (negación)
or denial and when there is a change of subject. Phrases that express negation include:
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No es verdad que – It’s not true that
No es cierto que – It’s not true/certain that
No creer que – To not believe that
No estar de acuerdo (en) que – To not agree/ disagree
Negar (ie) que – To deny that
SUBJUNCTIVE – No es verdad que haya tanta discriminación en nuestro país.
(It’s not true that there is so much discrimination in our country.)
SUBJUNCTIVE – No creen que José sea muy chismoso.
(They don’t believe that Jose is a big gossip.)
SUBJUNCTIVE – No es cierto que tenga una impresión equivocada de ti.
(It’s not true/ certain that he ahs a wrong impression of you.)
If these phrases are modified to express affirmation (afirmación) or agreement, the
indicative is used.
INDICATIVE – Es verdad que hay mucha discrimación en nuestro país.
(It’s true that there is a lot of discrimination in our country.)
INDICATIVE – Creo que José es muy chismoso.
(I believe that José is a big gossip.)
INDICATIVE – Es cierto que él tiene una impression equivocada de ti.
(It’s true/certain that he has a wrong impression of you.)