The Spanish Subjunctive Mood: A comprehensive guide.

Spanish textbooks often present the subjunctive mood as more complicated than it truly is. But when you break it down, it’s straightforward and simple to grasp.

Let’s begin by drawing a comparison between English and Spanish. English speakers occasionally employ the subjunctive mood to convey desires, such as, “I wish you would change your attitude”. Spanish uses the subjunctive in the same manner: “Deseo que cambies tu actitud”.

In English, “you would change” is the present subjunctive of “you change”. Similarly, in Spanish “tu cambies” is the subjunctive of “tu cambias”. Therefore, in both English and Spanish, the verb conjugation shifts when transitioning from the simple present tense (you change) to the present subjunctive mood (you would change).

To begin understanding the present subjunctive in Spanish, you need to familiarize yourself with the new verb conjugations, which we’ll review soon.

It’s important to note that Spanish uses the subjunctive mood more frequently than English does. While it can seem daunting to memorize all these scenarios, there’s a straightforward trick that can guide you to use the subjunctive correctly over 90% of the time. We’ll share this trick soon.

We’ll also discuss an additional rule that perfects your subjunctive usage by covering the last 10%.

Finally, for those deeply interested in grammar and wanting a comprehensive list of rules, we’ll share those towards the end of this lesson. However, the good news is you don’t need to memorize all these rules to use the subjunctive correctly.

The remainder of this lesson is broken down into the following sections:

• Verb conjugations in in the Spanish present subjunctive – you’ll need to know these to understand the examples later
• The one simple trick that will allow you to get the subjunctive right almost all the time in Spanish – it really is easy!
• Lots of examples of the present subjunctive in action – these will show you just how easy it is to use the simple trick
• The one exception you need to understand to get the last 10% right 
• All the ‘rules’ of the present subjunctive – in case you’re a grammar freak

What is the subjunctive mood?

The subjunctive, in essence, is one of the three moods used in Spanish. The other two moods are the indicative and the imperative. Thus, the Spanish subjunctive isn’t a tense, it’s a mood.

Now, you may be thinking, “What does ‘mood’ mean in this context? Is it about being happy or sad?” Well, not quite.

In Spanish, a mood pertains to the way an idea is expressed, while tenses relate to time. Both moods and tenses are associated with verbs.

In a nutshell, the subjunctive mood is used when expressing uncertainty, doubt, the unknown, possibilities, and emotions.

There are many forms of the subjunctive mood, but for this discussion, we’ll concentrate solely on the present subjunctive, which is the most basic form.

The Present subjunctive

Now that we’ve introduced the subjunctive mood, let’s delve into the present subjunctive. This basic form of subjunctive is used to express doubts, desires, possibilities, gentle orders, wants, emotions, and wishes.

There are some tricks and specific situations that I’ll explain later on. These will help you use the present subjunctive in an easier and quicker manner, just as I promised.

But for now, let’s move on and take a look at verb conjugations.

Conjugations in the Present subjunctive Spanish 

As I noted earlier, the subjunctive is a mood, but like all Spanish tenses, it’s linked to verbs. This means the present subjunctive includes both regular and irregular verbs.

Before we dive into how and when to use this subjunctive mood, it’s necessary to learn the present subjunctive endings. Let’s begin with the regular verbs:

Regular present subjunctive endings

To begin with the present subjunctive conjugation, all you need is the stem of the regular verb. It’s quite straightforward, just like all other Spanish tenses. The key difference here is that you simply need to alter the ending.

Let’s take a look with the ar verbs:

Ar verbs	Viajar	Hablar	Cocinar
Yo	Viaje	Hable	Cocine
Tú	Viajes	Hables	Cocines
Él-Ella-Usted	Viaje	Hable	Cocine
Ustedes-Ellos/Ellas	Viajen	Hablen	Cocinen
Nosotros/Nosotras	Viajemos	Hablemos	Cocinemos

Let’s try out the er-ir verbs:

Er/Ir verbs	Comer	Aprender	Vivir	Escribir
Yo	Coma	Aprenda	Viva	Escriba
Tú	Comas	Aprendas	Vivas	Escribas
Él-Ella-Usted	Coma	Aprenda	Viva	Escriba
Ustedes-Ellos/Ellas	Coman	Aprendan	Vivan	Escriban
Nosotros/Nosotras	Comamos	Aprendamos	Vivamos	Escribamos

Let’s check out some examples:

• I hope that you speak the truth Maria!
  ¡Espero que hables con la verdad Maria!

• It is important that you eat all the food Luis
  Es importante que comas toda la comida Luis

• I hope that you travel with your whole family
  Espero que viajes con toda tu familia

• I hope you learn Spanish fast
  Ojalá aprendas español rápido

As you can see, we are using some phrases before the subjunctive verb. Wondering why? Don’t worry, we’ll explain it later. Just stick with us.

Got it? It’s easy, right? Practice is the key to mastery.

Now it’s your turn to practice. Grab a pen and paper, or even just in your mind, remember to keep the stem of the word and change the ending.

Ready? Try these verbs: Caminar, Bailar, Estudiar, Necesitar, Recibir… Take your time!

Finished? 

Great, now let’s proceed to the irregular verbs, also known as stem-changing verbs.

Irregular present subjunctive endings

The same rule applies to the irregular verbs in the present subjunctive, but there’s a small twist – the stem of the verbs changes, just like in other Spanish tenses. Now, there are quite a few irregular verbs, but the good news is that many of them follow specific patterns.

Let’s look some of them:

Irregular verb	Stem changed		Irregular verb	Stem changed
Tener	Teng		Ver	Ve
Hacer	Hag		Ser	Se
Venir	Veng		Ir	Vay
Decir	Dig		Sentir	Sient
Salir	Salg		Saber	Sep
Querer	Quier		Poner	Pong

Here I’ll show you some perfect subjunctive conjugations examples with the irregular verbs:

Irregular Verbs	Tener	Hacer	Venir	Ir	Dormir
Yo	Tenga	Haga	Venga	Vaya	Duerma
Tú	Tengas	Hagas	Vengas	Vayas	Duermas
Él-Ella-Usted	Tenga	Haga	Venga	Vaya	Duerma
Ustedes-Ellos/Ellas	Tengan	Hagan	Vengan	Vayan	Durmamos
Nosotros/Nosotras	Tengamos	Hagamos	Vengamos	Vayamos	Durmamos

Let’s review some examples:

• It’s good that you go to the party
  Es bueno que vayas a la fiesta

• I hate that you make noise when I sleep!
  ¡Odio que hagas ruido mientras duermo!

• When I have the car, I go to the beach
  Cuando tenga el carro, voy a la playa

• I hope you sleep well tonight
  Espero que duermas bien esta noche

Now it is your turn, practice with this irregular verbs: Sentir, Ver, Querer, Poner 

Got it? If you are done Let’s move to the trick that I got specially for you and the special cases !

When to use the present subjunctive? 

Here’s a tip to make your life a bit simpler. 

Are you ready?

Take a deep breath!

Here’s the key: whenever you’re using the present subjunctive, there’s always an expression before the verb that indicates doubt, desire, uncertainty, possibility, or emotion.

It really does simplify things, don’t you agree?

So, let’s now take a look at when to use the present subjunctive with expressions and special circumstances.

Expressions 

There are many expressions that can help you recognize and use the present subjunctive. I’ve categorized them into various themes: desires, commands, wants, emotions, feelings, possibilities, and doubts.

And here they are:

Desires, orders and wants	English	Examples with the subjunctive conjugation
Querer que	To want that	Quiero que comas rápido
Preferir que	To prefer that	Prefiero que bailes conmigo
Necesitar que	To need	Necesito que hablemos en la noche
Desear que	To desire that	Deseamos que cambies tu actitud
Sugerir que	To suggest that	Te sugerimos que estudies temprano
Exigir que	To demand that	Te exijo que digas la verdad
Esperar que	To hope that	Esperamos que comas toda la comida
Recomendar que	To recommend	Recomiendo que viajen a España
Es importante que	It is important tha	Es importante que cocines toda la comida
Es necesario que	It is necessary that	Es necesario que vayan temprano

You may have encountered some of these expressions in Spanish movies, conversations, your Spanish classes, or even on TV.

But don’t worry! You don’t need to memorize all these expressions! I’m merely providing you with an overview to help understand the usage of the present subjunctive more easily.

What you can do is select the expressions that you find most useful and start practicing them. Gradually incorporate them into your Spanish vocabulary.

Emotions and feelings	English	Examples with the subjunctive conjugation
Es triste que	It’s sad that	Es triste que duermas solo
Es bueno que	It’s good that	Es bueno que aprendas español
Es mejor que	It’s better that	Es mejor que vayamos a la fiesta
Es peor que	It’s worse that	Es peor que llegues tarde
Alegrar que	To be happy that	Me alegra que viajemos a México
Encantar que	To love	Me encanta que cocines para mi
Odiar que	To hate that	Odiamos que llegues tarde siempre

As you can see, some of these expressions are conjunctions or are preceded by relative pronouns: cuando, que, quien. These words could be mistaken for interrogative pronouns, but that’s another topic.

Possibilities and doubt	English	Examples with the subjunctive conjugation
Dudar que	To doubt that	Dudo que Maria venga en la noche
Es posible que	It is possible that	Es posible que aprenda Francés pronto
Tal vez	Maybe	Tal vez necesites ayuda con el español
Quizás	Maybe	Quizás mañana escriba el mensaje
Cuando	When	Cuando hable con María, voy a estar feliz
Aunque	Even though	Aunque quiera comer, no puedo
Mientras	As long as	Mientras llueva, no puedo salir

Now, let’s explore the special instances where the present subjunctive is also used.

Special cases in the present subjunctive

When you are expressing wishes: On a trip, a party, birthday, or someone is not feeling good. It is used que – I hope that (Just in this context) at the beginning and then the present subjunctive 

Examples:

           Que te mejores – I hope you get better

           Que disfrutes el viaje – I hope you enjoy the trip

           Que tengas un feliz cumpleaños – I hope you have a happy birthday

           Que seas feliz con tu nuevo novio – I hope you are happy with your new boyfriend 

Ojalá: Or ojalá que Always is followed by the subjunctive and expresses hope

Examples:

            Ojalá vengas a mi matrimonio – I wish you come to my wedding

            Ojalá que tomen mucho alcohol – I wish they drink a lot of alcohol

Purpose: The present subjunctive spanish also is used to express purpose using the expresion para que-for-to-so (Depends in the context) 

Examples:

•             El dinero es para que compren la bicicleta
•             Ella cocina para que sus amigos coman algo
•             Yo estoy ahorrando dinero para que viajemos pronto 
•             Ellos están estudiando en la universidad para que sus hijos tengan un buen futuro

Imperative negative form: When the sentence starts with No and it denotes an order, then the present subjunctive is used.

Examples: 

•            No vayas a la fiesta
•            No comas en la cama
•            No fumes dentro de la casa
•            No cocinen toda la comida de la nevera

I hope this all makes sense! If it does, let’s put it into practice with some exercises using the present subjunctive.

Practice time

Now it’s your turn. Fill in the blanks with the correct present subjunctive conjugation:

1. I hope that you eat quickly to go to Juan’s house
   Espero que ________ (Comer) rápido para ir a la casa de Juan

2. It is good that they learn spanish
   Es bueno que ellos _______ (Aprender) español

3. I want you to have the house clean when I arrive
   Quiero que  _________ (Tener) la casa limpia cuando ________ (Llegar)

4. I am glad that you buy a new car, you need one!
   Me alegra que _______ (Comprar) un carro nuevo, necesitas uno!

5. It is possible that it rains all night, the sky is gray
   Es posible que ________(Llover) toda la noche, el cielo está gris

6. Even though I go to Spain, I will not be happy
   Aunque ________ (Ir) a España, no voy a estar feliz

7. I hope you have a happy birthday, I hope you enjoy your day
   Que ______ (Tener) un feliz cumpleaños, espero que _________(Disfrutar) tu día

8. Are you going to Madrid next month? I hope that you are happy there
   ¿Te vas para Madrid el otro mes? Que _______ (Ser) feliz allá

9. I am leaving my parents’ house so they could be better
   Me voy de la casa de mi padres para que ellos  _______ (Estar) mejor

10. Don’t use the bathroom, it’s busy
    No ________ (Usar) el baño, está ocupado

       Note: The correct answers at the end of the page

Final words

That’s all you need to understand about the present subjunctive.

I hope this guide helps clear up any confusion and makes the subjunctive mood and present subjunctive easier to grasp. Keep this guide handy and refer to it when you’re trying to figure out when to use the subjunctive mood. It’s less about the rules and more about the meaning!

Remember, practice is key. You can absolutely become fluent and learn Spanish easily with us.

Answers 

1. I hope that you eat quickly to go to Juan’s house
   Espero que comas rápido para ir a la casa de Juan

2. It is good that they learn spanish
   Es bueno que ellos aprendan español

3. I want you to have the house clean when I arrive
   Quiero que tengas la casa limpia cuando ________ (Llegar)

4. I am glad you buy a new car, you need one!
   Me alegra que compres un carro nuevo, necesitas uno!

5. It is possible that it rains all night, the sky is gray
   Es posible que llueva toda la noche, el cielo está gris

6. Even though I go to Spain, I will not be happy
   Aunque vaya a España, no voy a estar feliz

7. I hope you have a happy birthday, I hope you enjoy your day
   Que tengas un feliz cumpleaños, espero que disfrutes tu día

8. Are you going to Madrid next month? I hope that you are happy there
   ¿Te vas para Madrid el otro mes? Que seas feliz allá

9. I am leaving my parents’ house so they could be better
   Me voy de la casa de mi padres para que ellos estén  mejor

10. Don’t use the bathroom, it’s busy
    No use el baño, está ocupado

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