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Subjuntivo
The Spanish subjunctive is a special verb form, called a mood, that is used in dependent clauses to indicate some sort of subjectivity, uncertainty, or unreality in the mind of the speaker. In Spanish, feelings like doubt and desire require the subjunctive, as do expressions of necessity, possibility, and judgment. It can be helpful to consider them in themed groups:
- Preferences, Advice, Needs, Desires, Orders
- Judgments, Emotions, Feelings
- Possibilities, Opinions, Doubts, Suppositions
- Additional Subjunctive Triggers
Note that there are two additional conditions to meet before using the Spanish subjunctive:
1) Que
The dependent clauses is introduced by the relative pronoun que (that).
| Quiero que tu lo hagas. | I want you do it. | |
| No es cierto que yo venga. | It’s not certain that I will come (am coming). |
2) Two subjects
The subjects of the dependent and main clauses are usually different. If the subjects are the same, the infinitive can be used instead of the subjunctive.
| Quiero que vayas al museo. | I want you to go to the museum. | |
| Quiero ir al museo. | I want to go to the museum. | |
There are hundreds of verbs, expressions, and conjunctions that call for the subjunctive, so it’s helpful to divide them into themes.
Preferences, Advice, Needs, Desires, Orders (PANDO)
| aconsejar que | to advise | |
| decir (a alguien) que | to tell (someone to do something) | |
| dejar que | to let, allow | |
| desear que | to desire that | |
| es hora que | it’s time that | |
| es importante que | it is important that | |
| es necesario que | it is necessary that | |
| es preciso que | it is necessary that | |
| evitar que | to avoid | |
| exigir que | to demand that | |
| hacer falta que | to be necessary that | |
| hacer que | to make, force | |
| impedir que | to prevent | |
| insistir en que | to insist that | |
| invitar que | to invite | |
| mandar que | to order | |
| necesitar que | to need | |
| pedir (a alguien) que | to ask (someone to do something) | |
| permitir que | to permit | |
| preferir que | to prefer that | |
| prohibir que | to forbid | |
| proponer que | to propose that | |
| querer que | to want that | |
| recomendar que | to recommend | |
| rogar que | to request, beg | |
| sugerir que | to suggest that |
Judgments, Emotions, Feelings (JEF)
| alegrarse de que | to be happy that | |
| es bueno que | it’s good that | |
| es conveniente que | it’s convenient that | |
| es difícil que | it’s hard | |
| es extraño que | it’s strange that | |
| es fácil que | it’s easy | |
| es increíble que | it’s incredible that | |
| es interesante | it’s interesting that | |
| es inútil que | it’s useless that (there’s no point) | |
| es justo que | it’s fair that | |
| es (una) lástima que | it’s a pity that | |
| es malo que | it’s ( too) bad that | |
| es mejor que | it’s better that | |
| es peor que | it’s worse that | |
| es preferible que | it’s preferable that | |
| es raro que | it’s strange that | |
| es triste que | it’s sad that | |
| es útil que | it’s useful that | |
| esperar que | to hope that | |
| estar contento que | to be happy that | |
| estar triste que | to be sad that | |
| extrañarse que | to be amazed that | |
| gustarse que | to like | |
| más vale que | it’s better that | |
| sentir que | to regret, be sorry that | |
| sorprenderse que | to be surprised that | |
| temer que | to fear that | |
| tener miedo que | to be afraid that |
Possibilities, Opinions, Doubts, Suppositions (PODS)
| aparecer que | to appear, seem that | |
| buscar … que* | to look for | |
| detestar que | to hate | |
| dudar que | to doubt | |
| es dudoso que | it is doubtful that | |
| es imposible que | it is impossible that | |
| es improbable que | it is improbable that | |
| es posible que | it is possible that | |
| es probable que | it is probable that | |
| negar que | to deny | |
| no es cierto que | it is not certain that | |
| no es claro que | it’s not clear that | |
| no es evidente que | it is not obvious that | |
| no es obvio que | it is not obvious that | |
| no es que | it’s not that | |
| no es seguro que | it is not certain that | |
| no es verdad que | it is not true that | |
| no estar seguro de que | to not be certain than |
* Whether to use the subjunctive with buscar depends on whether you know the person or thing exists – learn more.
Additional Spanish Subjunctive Triggers
- Adjective clauses
- Conjunctions
- Negation and interrogation
- Si clauses
- Using the Spanish subjunctive – PwLF super list
More Spanish Subjunctive
Conjugations
Usage
- Introduction to the Spanish subjunctive
- The Sujunctivisor!
Spanish Subjunctive Tenses
Spanish Lesson Plans
- A Comprehensive Look at the Subjunctive (Worksheet, 11th to higher ed)
- El Modo Subjunctivo (PPT, 7th – higher ed)
- Practica: Subjunctive in Relative Clauses (Worksheet, 10th-11th grade)
- Subjunctive Conjugations (Lesson, 6th-12th grade)
- Subjunctive in Relative Clauses (Worksheet, 9th-11th grade)
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