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The Subjunctive

Introduction
Of all the conjugations that Spanish has, the subjunctive is probably the most difficult one. The objective of this work is to explain this tense as easily as possible. The explanation will be divided in two parts. The first part is a summary for students who want to receive a practical explanation, and the second part is a deep explanation of this tense.

Summary
WEIRDO

The most common reason why the subjunctive can be so difficult for English speakers is because there is not a similar tense in English. It is a structure that is used only whenever certain expressions are used. Think it this way, you use it when you want to express a desire for something to occur but only someone else can make it happen.
This acronym can help you understand in which cases the subjunctive should be used.

W - wish/will
E - Emotion/opinion
I - Impersonal expressions (es importante que..., es necesario que...)
R - Request
D - Doubt/Denial
O - Ojalá

The structure of sentences using the subjunctive is usually the following.

Noun + WEIRDO expression + que + the someone else who could make your desire happen + the subjunctive verb conjugated according to the someone else person +

the end of the sentence.

Note: The Noun and the “someone else” who make the action do not need to be written since the conjugation of the verb can tell us who we are talking about.

(Yo) quisiera que (tú) juegues conmigo.
Yo and tú could be interpreted because of the conjugation of the verbs. Quisiera is conjugated in the first person for the present tense, and juegues in the second person for the subjunctive tense. The action juegues conmigo does not depend on yo, only tú can make it happen. In this sentence we know that we have to use the subjunctive because quisiera expresses a wish, and our WEIRDO list tells us that wishes use the subjunctive.

Common Expression
The subjunctive can also be conjugated when certain expression are mention in sentences. Here a list with the most common used expressions:

no es cierto que es necesario que es bueno que es conveniente que es mejor que es raro que más vale que es imposible que es improbable que es importante que

When using these expressions, the WEIRDO list is not necessary anymore.

e.g.
Es necesario que estudiemos para aprender la lección.
Es importante que prestes atención a la clase para entender la lección

There are some clues to help you decide between the indicative and subjunctive: • Definite articles and possessive adjectives usually indicate a fact, so the indicative is used. Indefinite articles and indefinite and negative pronouns tend to indicate uncertainty about whether the noun exists, so the subjunctive is needed

Deep explanation of the Subjunctive
I. Regular Verbs
AR verbs: Take the present tense of the verb and change the A (or O, in yo form) at the beginning of the suffix to E.
|HABLAR | |Present |Subjunctive |Subj. Ending |
|...que yo | |hablo |Hable |-a |
|…que tú | |hablas |hables |-es |
|…que él/ella/Ud. | |habla |hable |-e |
|…que nosotros | |hablamos |hablemos |-emos |
|…que ustedes | |hablan |hablen |-en |
|…que ellos/Uds. | |hablan |hablen |-en |

ER verbs: Take the present tense and change the E (or O) to A.
|COMER | |Present |Subjunctive |Subj. ending |
|…que yo | |como |coma |-a |
|...que tú | |comes |comas |-as |
|...que él/ella/Ud. | |come |coma |-a |
|...que nosotros | |comemos |comamos |-amos |
|...que ustedes | |comen |coman |-an |
|...que ellos/Uds. | |comen |coman |-an |

IR verbs: The conjugation rules for -IR verbs are a bit more complicated. • yo form - change O to A • tú, él, and ellos forms - change E to A • nosotros form - change I to A • vosotros form - change Í to ÁI
If this seems too complicated, try this: take off the present tense ending and add the subjunctive ending.
|ABRIR | |Present |Subjunctive |Subj. ending |
|...que yo | |abro |abra |-a |
|...que tú | |abres |abras |-as |
|...que él/ella/Ud. |abre |abra |-a |
|...que nosotros | |abrimos |abramos |-amos |
|...que ustedes | |abren |abran |-an |
|...que ellos/Uds. | |abren |abran |-an |

Stem-changing verbs: Stem-changing -AR and -ER verbs follow the above rules; they use the same stem as in the present tense and thus maintain their stem changes in the subjunctive.
|PENSAR | |Present |Subjunctive |
|...que yo | |pienso |Piense |
|...que tú | |piensas |pienses |
|...que él/ella/Ud. | |piensa |piense |
|...que nosotros | |pensamos |pensemos |
|...que ustedes | |piensan |piensen |
|...que ellos/Uds. | |piensan |piensen |
| | | | |
|PODER | |Present |Subjunctive |
|...que yo | |puedo |pueda |
|...que tú | |puedes |puedas |
|...que él/ella/Ud. | |puede |pueda |
|...que nosotros | |podemos |podamos |
|...que ustedes | |pueden |puedan |
|...que ellos/Uds. | |pueden |puedan |

II. Irregular Verbs
Note: All irregular verbs except for dar and estar use regular endings for subjunctive conjugations.
Stem-changing verbs: There are three kinds of stem-changing -IR verbs.
1. E --» IE • All singular forms (yo, tú, él) and plural (ustedes, ellos) maintain the stem change • Nosotros form change E in stem to I
|SENTIR | |Present |Subjunctive |
|...que yo | |siento |sienta |
|...que tú | |sientes |sientas |
|...que él/ella/Ud. | |siente |sienta |
|...que nosotros | |sentimos |sintamos |
|...que ustedes | |sienten |sientan |
|...que ellos/Uds. | |sienten |sientan |

2. E --» I • All forms have an I in the stem, whether or not they have it in the present
|PEDIR | |Present |Subjunctive |
|...que yo | |pido |pida |
|...que tú | |pides |pidas |
|...que él/ella/Ud. | |pide |pida |
|...que nosotros | |pedimos |pidamos |
|...que ustedes | |piden |pidan |
|...que ellos/Uds. | |piden |pidan |

3. O --» UE • All singular forms and third person plural maintain the stem change • Nosotros form change the O in the stem to U
|DORMIR | |Present |Subjunctive |
|...que yo | |duermo |duerma |
|...que tú | |duermes |duermas |
|...que él/ella/Ud. | |duerme |duerma |
|...que nosotros | |dormimos |durmamos |
|...que ustedes | |duermen |duerman |
|...que ellos/Uds. | |duermen |duerman |

Note: Stem-changing -AR and ER verbs are regular in the subjunctive and are thus explained on the regular conjugations section. Irregular first person singular: Most verbs, including all *G verbs, which have an irregular first person singular conjugation use that conjugation as the subjunctive stem.
*G verbs.- There are a number of Spanish verbs which are regular in all but the first person singular. These are known as G verbs, because the first person singular requires an unexpected G.
|Verb |Yo form |Subjunctive |
|caber |yo quepo |quepa, quepas, quepa, quepamos, quepan, quepan |
|Caer |caigo |caiga, caigas, caiga, caigamos, caigan, caigan |
|conocer |conozco |conozca, conozcas, conozca, conozcamos, conozcan, conozcan |
|construir |construyo |construya, construyas, construya, construyamos, construyan, construyan |
|Decir |digo |diga, digas, diga, digamos, digan, digan |
|distinguir |distingo |distinga, distingas, distinga, distingamos, distingan, distingan |
|elegir |elijo |elija, elijas, elija, elijamos, elijan, elijan |
|hacer |hago |haga, hagas, haga, hagamos, hagan, hagan |
|Oír |oigo |oiga, oigas, oiga, oigamos, oigan, oigan |
|parecer |parezco |parezca, parezcas, parezca, parezcamos, parezcan, parezcan |
|poner |pongo |ponga, pongas, ponga, pongamos, pongan, pongan |
|Salir |salgo |salga, salgas, salga, salgamos, salgan, salgan |
|tener |tengo |tenga, tengas, tenga, tengamos, tengan, tengan |
|Traer |traigo |traiga, traigas, traiga, traigamos, traigan, traigan |
|Valer |valgo |valga, valgas, valga, valgamos, valgan, valgan |
|Venir |vengo |venga, vengas, venga, vengamos, vengan, vengan |
|Ver |veo |vea, veas, vea, veamos, vean, vean |

Irregular stems: The following verbs have irregular subjunctive stems:
|Verb |Stem |Subjunctive |
|haber |Hay- |haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayan, hayan |
|Ir |vay- |vaya, vayas, vaya, vayamos, vayan, vayan |
|saber |sep- |sepa, sepas, sepa, sepamos, sepan, sepan |
|Ser |se- |sea, seas, sea, seamos, sean, sean |

Irregular stem endings: The following verb groups change the final letter in the stem due to the issue of hard/soft vowels:
|Verbs that end in -car (c --» qu) |
|buscar |busqu- |busque, busques, busque, busquemos, busquen, busquen |
| | | |
|Verbs that end in -gar (g --» gu) |
|pagar |pagu- |pague, pagues, pague, paguemos, paguen, paguen |
| | | |
|Verbs that end in -zar (z --» c) |
|lanzar |lanc- |lance, lances, lance, lancemos, lancen, lancen |

Dar and estar: These verbs have irregular subjunctive forms due to accents:
|Verb |Subjunctive |
|Dar |dé, des, dé, demos, den, den |
|Estar |Esté, estés, esté, estemos, estén, estén |

III. Impersonal Expressions
The subjunctive is supposed to be a verb mood, not a tense. Mood refers to the attitude of the speaker towards the action of the verb - how likely the statement is. The subjunctive mood is subjective; it expresses emotional, potential, and hypothetical attitudes about what is being. The "normal" verb mood is called the indicative and is used for factual or definite statements about reality. However, being English the first language of the majority of students reading this paper, I think you should look at it, at least while you are learning, as a new tense. Eventually, you should comprehend the real meaning, but for now we just want to conjugate correctly.The Spanish subjunctive is often found in dependent clauses introduced by que. The subjects of the dependent and main clauses are usually different.
|Quiero que tú lo hagas. |I want you do it. |
|No es cierto que yo venga. |It's not certain that I will come. |

The subjunctive is used when the main clause expresses subjectivity, as summarized below.
I. Verbs/expressions of will or want which express an order, a need, a piece of advice, or a desire:
|aconsejar que |to advise |
|decir que |to tell |
|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 |
|esperar que |to hope 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 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 |

II. Verbs/expressions of emotion or feeling which indicate fear, happiness, anger, regret, surprise, or other sentiments or biases.
|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 |
|estar contento que |to be happy that |
|estar triste que |to be sad 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 |

III. Verbs/expressions of doubt, possibility, opinion
|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 is 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 is not that |
|no es verdad que |It is not true that |
|tal vez |perhaps |

Note: the following verbs and expressions do not take the subjunctive when they are used in the affirmative, because they express facts which are considered certain. When negative or interrogatory, they require the subjunctive.
|conocer (alguien) que |to know (someone) that |
|creer que |to believe that |
|estar seguro que |to be sure that |
|es cierto que |it is certain that |
|es claro que |it's clear that |
|es evidente que |it is obvious that |
|es seguro que |it is certain that |
|es una realidad |it's a fact that |
|es un hecho |it's a fact that |
|es verdad que |it is true that |
|pensar que |to think that |
|saber que |to know that |

The verbs dudar (to doubt) and negar (to deny) take the subjunctive when they are affirmative, but not when they are negative.
|Dudo que venga. |I doubt he'll come. |
|No dudo que viene. |I don't doubt that he'll come. |

IV. Subjunctive with conjunctions and relative pronouns
The Spanish subjunctive is required after a number of common conjugations and relative pronouns, whereas its usage is optional after others.
a. Conjunctions which require the subjunctive:
|A condición de que |on the condition that |
|A fin de que |so that |
|A menos que |unless |
|antes (de) que |before |
|con tal (de) que |provided that |
|en caso de que |in case |
|ojalá que |hopefully |
|para que |so that |
|por miedo de que |for fear that |
|siempre que |provided that |
|sin que |Without |

b. Conjunctions of time take the indicative when the action in the subordinate clause is either habitual or in the past. The subjunctive is used when the main clause is a command or in the (potential) future:
|así que |as soon as |
|cuando |when |
|despues de que |after |
|en cuanto |as soon as |
|hasta que |until |
|luego que |as soon as |
|Tan pronto como |as soon as |

e.g.
|Trabajé hasta que mis niños me llamaron. |I worked until my kids called. |
|Trabajo hasta que mis niños me llaman. |I (usually) work until my kids call. |
|Trabaja hasta que tus niños te llamen. |Work until your kids call. |
|Trabajaré hasta que mis niños me llamen. |I'll work until my kids call. |

c. Conjunctions of (un)certainty may be followed by the indicative or the subjunctive, depending on the certainty and reality of the subordinate clause.
|aunque |although |
|como |how |
|de manera que |so that |
|de modo que |so that |
|donde |where |
|mientras que |while, until |
|quizás |perhaps |
|según |according to |

For example...
|Quizás tu puedes hacerlo. |Maybe you can do it (I think you can). |
|Quizás tu puedas hacerlo. |Maybe you can do it (but I doubt it). |
| | |
|Yo vengo aunque no tengo dinero. |I'll come even though I don't have any money (I know I don't). |
|Yo vengo aunque no tenga dinero. |I'll come even if I don't have any money (I don't know if I have any). |
| | |
|Hágalo como quiere. |Do it the way you want to (you've already told me how). |
|Hágalo como quiera. |Do it the whatever way you want to (I don't know how that is) |

d. Conjunctions which do not take the subjunctive express facts which are considered certain:
|así como |just as, in the same way |
|porque |because |
|ya que |since, as |

V. The subjunctive in adjective clauses
Adjective clauses are relative clauses: a relative pronoun (usually que) + some description that modifies a noun. Some adjective clauses require the indicative, while others need the subjunctive. What's the difference? Reality and existence of the noun described by the adjective clause.
Verbs like buscar, deber, necesitar, and querer commonly require the subjunctive. Whether or not to use it depends on the speaker's perception of reality.

Compare:
|Busco el libro que estoy leyendo. |I'm looking for the book I'm reading. (I know it exists = no doubt) |
|Busco un libro que me interese. |I'm looking for a book that interests me. |
| |(it may not exist = doubt) |
| | |
|Quiero el perro que tiene ojos negros. |I want the dog that has black eyes. (It's sitting right here. |
|Quiero un perro que esté domesticado. |I want a dog that is housebroken. (I haven't found it yet.) |

When verbs are used in questions or negative statements, they may also followed by the subjunctive.
|Conozco a alguien que habla italiano. |I know someone who speaks Italian (this person exists). |
|¿Conoces a alquien que hable italiano? |Do you know anyone who speaks Italian? (don't know if this person exists) |
|No conozco a nadie que hable italiano. |I don't know anyone who speaks Italian. (this person doesn't exist) |
| | |
|Hay un libro que es interesante. |There's a book that's interesting. |
|¿Hay un libro que sea interesante? |Is there a book that is interesting? |
|No hay ningún libro que sea interesante. |There is no book that is interesting. |
| | |
|Tengo un profesor que vive en Madrid. |I have a teacher who lives in Madrid. |
|¿Tienes un profesor que viva en Madrid? |Do you have a teacher that lives in Madrid? |
|No tengo un profesor que viva en Madrid. |I don't have a teacher that lives in Madrid. |