Introduction to the Subjunctive

The first thing you need to know in order to “get” the subjunctive is the basic

structure of the language.

Spanish is divided into three MOODS.

Español

• The INDICATIVE MOOD expresses:• What is done• What is being done• What has been done• What will be done• What would be done if…

• The SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD expresses what you:• Hope will be done

• Want to be done

• Doubt will be done

• Wish will be done

• Suggest would be done

• Recommend to be done

• The IMPERATIVE MOOD expresses:• Commands!

The MOODS are then divided into TENSES:

• INDICATIVE tenses:• Present indicative (I speak)

• Imperfect (I was speaking)

• Preterit (I spoke)• Future (I will speak)• Conditional (I would speak)

• The perfect tenses (I have/had spoken)

• SUBJUNCTIVE tenses:• Present subjunctive (He wants me to speak.)

• Imperfect subjunctive (He wanted me to speak.)

• Perfect subjunctive (He wishes that I had spoken.)

• Pluperfect subjunctive (He wished that I would have spoken.)

Now that you know what the subjunctive is, let’s conjugate it!

Steps for conjugation:

1. Find the YO form of the present (indicative) tense.

2. Remove the –o ending

3. Add opposite verb endings:

Subjunctive endings:

SUBJECT -AR verbs -ER and -IR verbs

yo -e -a

tú -es -as

él/ella/usted -e -a

nosotros -emos -amos

vosotros -éis -áis

ellos/ellas/ustedes -en -an

So…

HABLAR COMER PONER

hable coma ponga

hables comas pongas

hable coma ponga

hablemos comamos pongamos

habléis comáis pongáis

hablen coman pongan

No matter how weird the verb is, if it can go through the above three steps, it has a regular subjunctive form. For example:

• CONOCER (tú) yo conozco subjunctive: conozcas

• VER (nosotros) yo veo subjunctive: veamos

• TENER (usted) yo tengo subjunctive: tenga

• QUERER (ellos) yo quiero quieran

Spelling changes

•-CAR -QU (buscar busque)

•-GAR -GU (llegar llegue)

•-ZAR -C (abrazar abrace)

IRREGULARS!

SER IR DAR ESTAR SABER HABER*

yo sea vaya dé esté sepa haya

tú seas vayas des estés sepas hayas

él/ella/usted

sea vaya dé esté sepa haya

nosotros

seámos vayamos demos estemos sepamos hayamos

vosotros

seáis vayáis deis estéis sepáis hayáis

ellos/ellas/ustedes

sean vayan den estén sepan hayan

*These forms are used for the present perfect subjunctive—making an expression in the present about a past event. Otherwise, haya is the subjunctive form of hay: “Espero que haya chocolate.”

The Present Subjunctive

The subjunctive mood is used to say that one person influences the actions of another.

• Recomendamos que Uds. hablen con un agente de viajes.• We recommend that you speak with a travel agent.

• Quiere Ud. que escribamos nuestros nombres en las maletas?• Do you want us to write our names on our suitcases?

Note that the subjunctive sentences have two parts, each with a different subject, connected by the word que:

•Ella sugiere que

•The first part uses the present indicative verb (recommendation, suggestion, prohibition, and so on) + que, and the second part uses the present subjunctive verb (what should happen).

Ella sugiere

yo aprenda francés.

Verbs that are often followed by que + subjunctive:

decir prohibir

insistir en querer

necesitar recomendar

permitir sugerir

preferir

(¿Qué significan estos verbos?)

The present subjunctive has the same spelling changes and irregular yo form changes used with commands

1) Traer yo traigo

2) Drop the "o" traig-

3) Add the opposite ending traiga

Caer (Caigo)

Decir (digo)

Hacer (Hago)

Oír (Oigo)

Poner (Pongo)

Salir (Salgo)

Venir (Vengo)

If the “yo" form is irregular, the subjunctive form will follow the irregular pattern:

If there is a stem change in the Present Tense, there will be a stem change in all of the conjugations in the Subjunctive form with the exception of the nosotros form of -AR and -ER verbs.

Infinitive (Verb) Present tense Yo Subjunctive Yo formSubjunctive Nosotros

form

Pedir Pido Pida Pidamos

Pensar Pienso Piense Pensemos

Dormir Duermo Duerma Durmamos

Entender Entiendo Entienda Entendamos

Poder Puedo Pueda Podamos

Only -IR verbs continue to stem-change in all forms of the Present Subjunctive and they follow the same stem-changes as in the Preterite.