The Present Subjunctive
The present subjunctive cannot exist alone. Another element in the sentence always causes it to be used. The subjunctive is often needed after the following elements.
* Certain impersonal expressions
* Certain Verbs
* Certain conjunctions
Uses of the Present Subjunctive
Remember that the subjunctive mood cannot exist alone; it must always be caused by some other element in the sentence. This is a mood that expresses wishes, doubts, and what is possible, rather than what is certain.
Following are the specific uses of the present subjunctive.
After Certain Impersonal Expressions
A sentence or question may consist of a main clause and a dependent or subordinate clause connected by the Spanish conjunction que. Here is a sentence with a main clause and a subordinate clause in the indicative mood.
Él sabe = the main clause
que yo cocino bien = the dependent clause
However, suppose that the main clause has an impersonal expression, such as Es dudoso. This causes the subjunctive to be used in the dependent clause.
Es dudoso que yo cocine bien. It is doubtful that I cook well.
Frequently used impersonal expressions are the following.
es bueno que it is good that
es difícil que it is difficult that
es dudoso que it is doubtful that
es fácil que it is easy that
es impossible que it is impossible that
es importante que it is important that
es malo que it is bad that
es mejor que it is better that
es necesario que it is necessary that
es posible que it is possible that
es probable que it is probable that
es preciso que it is extremely necessary that
es una lástima que it is a pitty that
es urgente que it is urgent that
Es importante que Ud. coma bien. It is important that you eat well.
Es necesario que estudiemos para el examen. It is necessary that we study for the test.
Es imposible que ella tenga razón. It is impossible that she is right.
¿Es posible que ellos vengan mañana? Is it possible that they will come tomorrow?
Es una lástima que Fernanda no lo quiera hacer. It is a pitty that Fernanda doesn't want to do it.
Es dudoso que viajemos a Italia. It is doubtful that we will travel to Italy.
Once you begin a sentence with one of the impersonal expressions above, it is mandatory to use the subjunctive in the dependent clause. You do not have to make any decisions, nor do you have a choice about whether or not to use it. These impersonal expressions in the main clause always trigger the subjunctive in the subordinate clause.
Some of the example sentences above are translated with the future in English. This is because the present subjunctive carries with it a feeling of the future and doubt.
If you wish to make a general statement with an impersonal expression, you need neither a dependent clause nor a subjunctive. You simply use the structure you have already learned, which follows English word order.
Es importante dormir bien. It is important to sleep well.
¿Es necesario estudiar mucho? Is it necessary to study a lot?
After Certain Verbs
Expressing Wishes or Preferences
Verbs that express wishes or preferences with regard to other people in the main clause will cause the subjunctive mood in the dependent clause. The subject in the main clause must be differentf from the subject in the dependent clause.
querer to want
desear to desire, to want
preferir to prefer
Here is a sentence with a main clause and a subordinate clause in the indicative mood.
Él sabe = the main clause
que yo canto = the dependent clause
However, suppose that the main clause has one of the verbs above, such as Él quiere. This causes the subjunctive to be used in the dependent clause.
Él quiere que yo cante. He wants me to sing.
Deseamos que tus padres estén bien. We want your parents to be well.
Mi padre prefiere que juegue al béisbol. My father prefers that I play baseball.
If there is only one subject for the two verbs in a sentence, there is neither a dependent clause nor a subjunctive.
Nosotros queremos bailar. We want to dance.
Deseas descansar. You want to rest.
Miguelito prefiere dormir. Miguelito prefers to sleep.
Expressing Hope, Happiness, Sadness, or Regret
Verbs that express hope, happiness, sadness, or regret with regard to other people in the main clause will cause the subjunctive mood in the dependent clause.
alegrarse de to be glad
esperar to hope
estar contento de to be happy
estar triste de to be sad
gustarle a uno to be pleasing
sentir to regret
tener miedo de to be afraid of
temer to fear
Me alegro de que ellos estén bien. I am glad that they are well.
La profesora está contenta de que hagamos la tarea. The teacher is happy that we do the homework.
¿Estás triste de que no podamos ir a la fiesta? Are you sad that we cannot go to the party?
Me gusta que mi familia venga a visitarme. It pleases me that my family is coming to visit me.
Los padres temen que sus hijos no quieran estudiar. The parents fear that their children don't want to study.
If there is only one subject for the two verbs in a sentence, the sentence follows the basic structure that you have learned.
Me alegro de estar aquí. I am glad to be here.
Ellos esperan graduarse este año. They hope to graduate this year.
Ella tiene miedo de volar. She is afraid of flying.
Expressing Orders, Requests, or Advice
Verbs that express orders, requests, or advice in the main clause will cause the subjunctive mood in the dependent clause.
aconsejar to advise
decir to tell (someone to do something)
dejar to permit, to let
insistir en to insist
pedir to request, to ask for
permitir to permit
prohibir to prohibit
mandar to order
sugerir to suggest
Te aconsejo que tomes un taxi. I advise you to take a taxi.
Ella insiste en que yo trabaje. She insists that I work.
Les pedimos que vayan de vacaciones. We ask them to go on vacation.
Le sugiero que Ud. lea este artículo. I suggest that you read this article.
Dejar, permitir, prohibir, and mandar can be used in two ways.
Les dejo que entren.
Les dejo entrar. I let them enter.
Te permito que nades aquí.
Te permito nadar aquí. I permit you to swim here.
Te prohíbo que fumes en la casa.
Te prohíbo fumar en la casa. I prohibit you to smoke in the house.
La directora les manda que descansen.
La directora les manda descansar. The principal orders to rest.
Decir is used, as you have learned, to relate a fact. This idea is expressed with the indicative.
Uds. me dicen que les gusta viajar. You tell me that you like to travel.
Juan nos dice que el tren viene. Juan tells us that the train is coming.
However, when decir is used to give an order, the subjunctive is used in the dependent clause.
Mi madre me dice que vaya al doctor. My mother tells me to go to the doctor.
Les decimos que se acuesten ahora. We tell them to go to bed now.
La profesora nos dice que tengamos cuidado. The teacher tells us to be careful.
Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty
Verbs that express doubt or uncertainty in the main clause will cause the subjunctive mood in the dependent clause.
dudar to doubt
no creer not to beleive
no pensar not to think
Ella duda que yo sepa tocar el piano. She doubts that I know how to play the piano.
Rosita no cree que sea la verdad. Rosita does not beleive that it is the truth.
No pienso que María me invite a la fiesta. I don't think that María will invite me to the party.
After Certain Conjunctions
A subjunctive form follows directly after one of the following conjunctions if the main clause has a different subject than the dependent clause.
a pesar de que in spite of
antes de que before
después de que after
en caso de que in case
hasta que until
para que in order that, so that
sin que without
Here is a sentence in which there is only one subject.
Tú practicas la guitarra antes de cantar. You practice the guitar before singing.
Here is a sentence in which there are two subjects connected by the conjuction que.
Tú practicas la guitarra antes de que yo canté. You practice the guitar before I sing.
Let's look at more examples.
Yo voy a hacer mi trabajo sin que Uds. me ayuden. I am going to do my job without your help.
El entrenador enseña para que los jugadores ganen. The coach teaches so that the players win.
áéíóúÁÉÍÓ¿
The present subjunctive cannot exist alone. Another element in the sentence always causes it to be used. The subjunctive is often needed after the following elements.
* Certain impersonal expressions
* Certain Verbs
* Certain conjunctions
Uses of the Present Subjunctive
Remember that the subjunctive mood cannot exist alone; it must always be caused by some other element in the sentence. This is a mood that expresses wishes, doubts, and what is possible, rather than what is certain.
Following are the specific uses of the present subjunctive.
After Certain Impersonal Expressions
A sentence or question may consist of a main clause and a dependent or subordinate clause connected by the Spanish conjunction que. Here is a sentence with a main clause and a subordinate clause in the indicative mood.
Él sabe = the main clause
que yo cocino bien = the dependent clause
However, suppose that the main clause has an impersonal expression, such as Es dudoso. This causes the subjunctive to be used in the dependent clause.
Es dudoso que yo cocine bien. It is doubtful that I cook well.
Frequently used impersonal expressions are the following.
es bueno que it is good that
es difícil que it is difficult that
es dudoso que it is doubtful that
es fácil que it is easy that
es impossible que it is impossible that
es importante que it is important that
es malo que it is bad that
es mejor que it is better that
es necesario que it is necessary that
es posible que it is possible that
es probable que it is probable that
es preciso que it is extremely necessary that
es una lástima que it is a pitty that
es urgente que it is urgent that
Es importante que Ud. coma bien. It is important that you eat well.
Es necesario que estudiemos para el examen. It is necessary that we study for the test.
Es imposible que ella tenga razón. It is impossible that she is right.
¿Es posible que ellos vengan mañana? Is it possible that they will come tomorrow?
Es una lástima que Fernanda no lo quiera hacer. It is a pitty that Fernanda doesn't want to do it.
Es dudoso que viajemos a Italia. It is doubtful that we will travel to Italy.
Once you begin a sentence with one of the impersonal expressions above, it is mandatory to use the subjunctive in the dependent clause. You do not have to make any decisions, nor do you have a choice about whether or not to use it. These impersonal expressions in the main clause always trigger the subjunctive in the subordinate clause.
Some of the example sentences above are translated with the future in English. This is because the present subjunctive carries with it a feeling of the future and doubt.
If you wish to make a general statement with an impersonal expression, you need neither a dependent clause nor a subjunctive. You simply use the structure you have already learned, which follows English word order.
Es importante dormir bien. It is important to sleep well.
¿Es necesario estudiar mucho? Is it necessary to study a lot?
After Certain Verbs
Expressing Wishes or Preferences
Verbs that express wishes or preferences with regard to other people in the main clause will cause the subjunctive mood in the dependent clause. The subject in the main clause must be differentf from the subject in the dependent clause.
querer to want
desear to desire, to want
preferir to prefer
Here is a sentence with a main clause and a subordinate clause in the indicative mood.
Él sabe = the main clause
que yo canto = the dependent clause
However, suppose that the main clause has one of the verbs above, such as Él quiere. This causes the subjunctive to be used in the dependent clause.
Él quiere que yo cante. He wants me to sing.
Deseamos que tus padres estén bien. We want your parents to be well.
Mi padre prefiere que juegue al béisbol. My father prefers that I play baseball.
If there is only one subject for the two verbs in a sentence, there is neither a dependent clause nor a subjunctive.
Nosotros queremos bailar. We want to dance.
Deseas descansar. You want to rest.
Miguelito prefiere dormir. Miguelito prefers to sleep.
Expressing Hope, Happiness, Sadness, or Regret
Verbs that express hope, happiness, sadness, or regret with regard to other people in the main clause will cause the subjunctive mood in the dependent clause.
alegrarse de to be glad
esperar to hope
estar contento de to be happy
estar triste de to be sad
gustarle a uno to be pleasing
sentir to regret
tener miedo de to be afraid of
temer to fear
Me alegro de que ellos estén bien. I am glad that they are well.
La profesora está contenta de que hagamos la tarea. The teacher is happy that we do the homework.
¿Estás triste de que no podamos ir a la fiesta? Are you sad that we cannot go to the party?
Me gusta que mi familia venga a visitarme. It pleases me that my family is coming to visit me.
Los padres temen que sus hijos no quieran estudiar. The parents fear that their children don't want to study.
If there is only one subject for the two verbs in a sentence, the sentence follows the basic structure that you have learned.
Me alegro de estar aquí. I am glad to be here.
Ellos esperan graduarse este año. They hope to graduate this year.
Ella tiene miedo de volar. She is afraid of flying.
Expressing Orders, Requests, or Advice
Verbs that express orders, requests, or advice in the main clause will cause the subjunctive mood in the dependent clause.
aconsejar to advise
decir to tell (someone to do something)
dejar to permit, to let
insistir en to insist
pedir to request, to ask for
permitir to permit
prohibir to prohibit
mandar to order
sugerir to suggest
Te aconsejo que tomes un taxi. I advise you to take a taxi.
Ella insiste en que yo trabaje. She insists that I work.
Les pedimos que vayan de vacaciones. We ask them to go on vacation.
Le sugiero que Ud. lea este artículo. I suggest that you read this article.
Dejar, permitir, prohibir, and mandar can be used in two ways.
Les dejo que entren.
Les dejo entrar. I let them enter.
Te permito que nades aquí.
Te permito nadar aquí. I permit you to swim here.
Te prohíbo que fumes en la casa.
Te prohíbo fumar en la casa. I prohibit you to smoke in the house.
La directora les manda que descansen.
La directora les manda descansar. The principal orders to rest.
Decir is used, as you have learned, to relate a fact. This idea is expressed with the indicative.
Uds. me dicen que les gusta viajar. You tell me that you like to travel.
Juan nos dice que el tren viene. Juan tells us that the train is coming.
However, when decir is used to give an order, the subjunctive is used in the dependent clause.
Mi madre me dice que vaya al doctor. My mother tells me to go to the doctor.
Les decimos que se acuesten ahora. We tell them to go to bed now.
La profesora nos dice que tengamos cuidado. The teacher tells us to be careful.
Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty
Verbs that express doubt or uncertainty in the main clause will cause the subjunctive mood in the dependent clause.
dudar to doubt
no creer not to beleive
no pensar not to think
Ella duda que yo sepa tocar el piano. She doubts that I know how to play the piano.
Rosita no cree que sea la verdad. Rosita does not beleive that it is the truth.
No pienso que María me invite a la fiesta. I don't think that María will invite me to the party.
After Certain Conjunctions
A subjunctive form follows directly after one of the following conjunctions if the main clause has a different subject than the dependent clause.
a pesar de que in spite of
antes de que before
después de que after
en caso de que in case
hasta que until
para que in order that, so that
sin que without
Here is a sentence in which there is only one subject.
Tú practicas la guitarra antes de cantar. You practice the guitar before singing.
Here is a sentence in which there are two subjects connected by the conjuction que.
Tú practicas la guitarra antes de que yo canté. You practice the guitar before I sing.
Let's look at more examples.
Yo voy a hacer mi trabajo sin que Uds. me ayuden. I am going to do my job without your help.
El entrenador enseña para que los jugadores ganen. The coach teaches so that the players win.
áéíóúÁÉÍÓ¿