Subjunctive conjugations

El Subjuntivo: Los irregulares

*Again, remember that we need to use the present tense "yo" form as our guide to conjugating verbs in the subjunctive. Sometimes these present tense "yo" forms are irregular.

- GER/GIR VERBS

escoger Present tense yo form: escojo

yo escoja

Tú escojas

Él/ella/Ud. escoja

Nosotros escojamos

Ellos/ellas/Uds. escojan

Other verbs in this category: dirigir

-AR/-ER STEM CHANGERS

*The stem changes in all forms except nosotros.

Costar Present tense yo form: cuesto

Yo cueste

Tú cuestes

Él/ella/Ud. cueste

*Nosotros costemos

Ellos/ellas/Uds. cuesten

Entender Present tense yo form: entiendo

Yo entienda

Tú entiendas

Él/ella/Ud. entienda

*Nosotros entendamos

Ellos/ellas/Uds. entiendan

Other verbs in this category: contar, jugar, comenzar, volver

-IR STEM-CHANGERS

*The nosotros forms of these verbs have spelling changes that we must take careful note of.

*e to ie

preferir Present tense yo form: prefiero

Yo prefiera

Tú prefieras

Él/ella/Ud. prefiera

***Nosotros prefiramos

Ellos/ellas/Uds. prefieran

Other verbs in this category: referir, sentir

*e to I

pedir Present tense yo form: pido

Yo pida

Tú pidas

Él/ella/Ud. pida

***Nosotros pidamos

Ellos/ellas/Uds. pidan

Other verbs in this category: repetir, servir

*o to ue

morir Present tense yo form: muero

Yo muera

Tú mueras

Él/ella/Ud. muera

***Nosotros muramos

Ellos/ellas/Uds. mueran

Other verbs in this category: dormir

***Seguir: to follow, to continue

Present tense yo: sigo

Yo siga

Tú sigas

Él/ella/Ud. siga

Nosotros sigamos

Ellos/ellas/Uds. sigan

Other verbs in this category: conseguir, perseguir

There are 6 irregular verbs in the subjunctive. Their subjunctive conjugations are in no way related to the present tense "yo" form.

Dar

Yo dé

Tú des

Él/ella/Ud. dé

Nosotros demos

Ellos/ellas/Uds. den

Haber

Yo haya

Tú hayas

Él/ella/Ud. haya

Nosotros hayamos

Ellos/ellas/Uds. hayan

Saber

Yo sepa

Tú sepas

Él/ella/Ud. sepa

Nosotros sepamos

Ellos/ellas/Uds. sepan

estar

yo esté

tú estés

él/ella/Ud. esté

nosotros estemos

ellos/ellas/Uds. estén

ser

yo sea

tú seas

él/ella/Ud. sea

nosotros seamos

ellos/ellas/Uds. sean

ir

yo vaya

tú vayas

él/ella/Ud. vaya

nosotros vayamos

ellos/ellas/Uds. vayan

Uses of the Subjunctive: Wishing/Wanting

The subjunctive tense is used to express that one person wants, suggests or demands that someone else do something. A sentence that includes the subjunctive tense has 2 parts, connected by the word "que." If we are to use the subjunctive, the following 2 conditions MUST be satisfied:

1) There is a change of subject between the 2 parts of the sentence (before the "que" and after the "que,"

AND

2) The subjunctive is ONLY used AFTER THE "QUE!!"

We will use the acronym "WEIRDO" to remember the different situations in which the subjunctive is used. Today we will talk about the "W" of WEIRDO, which is "Wishing and Wanting."

To use the subjunctive, someone has to want someone else to do something or wish that something happens. Here are some examples:

Yo quiero que ella coma más vegetales. (I want her to eat more vegetables.)

Tú esperas que nosotros saquemos una "A" en el examen.

(You hope that we get an "A" on the exam.)

Note that in each of the above sentences, there is a change of subject from the first part of the sentence to the second part. Also, the subjuntive is ONLY USED AFTER THE "QUE."

In the above sentences, "querer" and "esperar" are called trigger verbs because they trigger us to use the subjunctive in the second part of the sentence. Here are all the trigger verbs for the "Wishing and Wanting" category:

Querer: to want, wish

Preferir (e to ie): to prefer

Desear: to wish

Esperar: to hope

If there is no change of subject in the sentence, then we do not use "que" and the second verb stays in the infinitive.

Ejemplos: Yo quiero comer más vegetales. (I want to eat more vegetables.)

Tú esperas sacar una "A" en el examen. (You hope to get an "A" on the exam.)

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the indicated verb and translate the sentence. Not all will necessarily require the subjunctive!

Tú deseas que ellos _____________________ (jugar) al básquetbol.

Nosotros preferimos que tú ___________________ (hacer) la tarea.

Ellos esperan ____________________(terminar) el proyecto.

Yo quiero que ella __________________(ir) al cine conmigo.

Ella desea ________________________ (comer) en El Torero esta noche.

Uses of the Subjunctive: Emotions

The second use of the subjunctive is after verbs indicating emotion. The same rules will apply to the use of the subjunctive, namely:

1) We must have a change of subject from before to after the "que."

2) We only use subjunctive after the "que."

EJEMPLOS: Yo estoy alegre de que tú viajes a España.

(I am happy that you travel to Spain.)

Me preocupo de que ellos estén enfermos.

(I worry that they are sick.)

When the sentence only has one subject, the second verb stays in the infinitive and there is no "que."

Yo estoy alegre de viajar a España.

(I am happy to travel to Spain.)

Here are the emotions trigger verbs:

Gustar: to be pleasing to

Encantar: to be enchanting to

Enfadar/enojar: to anger

Irritar: to irritate

Emocionar: to thrill

Sorprender: to surprise

Molestar: to bother

estar triste de: to be sad

estar alegre de/alegrarse de: to be happy

estar orgulloso de: to be proud

temer/tener miedo de: to fear

sentir: to regret

EJEMPLOS: Me molesta que cantes en la ducha.

(It bothers me that you sing in the shower.)

Estoy orgulloso de que nuestro equipo siempre gane.

(I am proud that our team always wins.)

Están tristes de que salgamos mañana.

(They are sad that we leave tomorrow.)

Traduce.

1. I regret that they don't spend time with me.

2. You are sad that we are not here.

3. They fear that you lie. (to lie = mentir, e to ie)

Uses of the Subjunctive: Impersonal Expressions

Impersonal expressions are the Spanish equivalents of expressions such as "It is necessary that" and "It is important that" in English.

Es bueno: It is good

es malo: It is bad

es mejor: It is better

es necesario: It is necessary

Es horrible: It is horrible

Es importante: It is important

Es imposible: It is impossible

Es incredible: It is incredible

es una lástima: It's a shame

es justo: It is just/fair

es absurdo: It is absurd

es ridículo: It is ridiculous

es posible: It is possible

es sorprendente: It is surprising

es probable: It is probable

es raro: It is strange

These expressions, when followed by "que" and a specific subject, are used with the subjunctive.

EJEMPLOS: Es importante que tú hagas la tarea.

(It is important that you do your homework.)

Es necesario que nosotros comamos una dieta saludable.

(It is necessary that we eat a healthy diet.)

WHEN THERE IS NO CHANGE OF SUBJECT AFTER THE IMPERSONAL EXPRESSION, DO NOT USE "QUE" OR THE SUBJUNCTIVE. INSTEAD, USE A VERB IN THE INFINITIVE.

Llena los espacios.

Traduce las frases.

1. It is probable that they eat lunch at Arby's.

2. It is strange that she sleeps in class.

Uses of the Subjunctive: Requests and Recommendations

The fourth use of the subjunctive is to request or recommend that someone do something. The same subjunctive usage rules apply. Here are the trigger verbs you need to know:

Pedir: to ask for

Rogar (o to ue): to beg

Aconsejar: to advise

Permitir: to permit/allow

Prohibir: to prohibit

recomendar: to recommend

sugerir: to suggest

EJEMPLOS: Yo pido que Uds. no coman en la clase. (I ask that you (pl.) not eat in class.)

Sr. Mears aconseja que tú tomes la clase de física. (Mr. Mears advises that you take the Physics class.)

Yo permito que él beba agua en la clase. (I allow him to drink water in class.)

What happens if a sentence does not have a change of subject?

*We do not use the subjunctive, and the second verb stays in the infinitive.

Practicar: Fill in the blanks with the correct form of each verb.

1. Tú sugieres que yo ____________________ (aprender) a bailar la salsa.

2. Ella prohíbe que las personas ______________ (fumar) en su casa.

3. Yo ruego que Uds. no ___________________ (dormir) en la clase!

Translate.

1. She recommends that we see the movie.

2. We ask that you bring your book.

Uses of the Subjunctive: Demands, Doubts and Denials

Trigger Verbs:

Exigir: to demand

Insistir en: to insist

Mandar: to demand

Demandar: to demand

dudar: to doubt

negar: to deny

no creer: to not believe

no es verdad: It is not true

no pensar: to not think

no saber: to not know

*All the rules for using the subjunctive still apply.

EJEMPLOS: Yo exijo que tú trabajes en la clase de español.

(I demand that you work in Spanish class.)

Ella no piensa que nosotros ganemos el partido.

(She doesn't think that we (will) win the game.)

Tú niegas que Uds. hagan trampa en el examen. (hacer trampa= to cheat)

(You deny that you (pl.) cheat on the exam.)

PRACTICAR: Fill in the blanks.

1. Yo demando que nosotros _______________ (ir) al centro comercial.

2. Él no cree que tú ______________________(ser) simpático.

3. Ellas insisten en ______________________ (comer) en Monical's.

TRADUCE.

1. I don't think they will eat lunch with us.

2. It's not true that I lie.

Subjunctive with doubt expressions

To express doubt or uncertainty about present actions, use the subjunctive. What two criteria must be met for us to use the subjunctive?

1. There must be a "que" separating the two clauses of the sentence.

2. There must be a change of subject between the two clauses.

Assuming that the above 2 criteria are met, the following expressions of doubt or uncertainty will always take the subjunctive after the "que":

Dudar: to doubt

Es posible: It is possible

Es dudoso: It is doubtful

Es improbable: It is improbable

no creer: to not believe

es imposible: it is impossible

es probable: it is probable

EJEMPLOS:

Es posible que tengamos tarea esta noche. (It is possible that we have homework tonight.)

No creo que existan los extraterrestres. (I don't believe that aliens exist.)

Es probable que el arqueólogo excave las ruinas. (It is possible that the archaeologist excavates the ruins.)

However, if we are expressing belief, knowledge or certainty, we will NOT use subjunctive after the "que." We will just use present tense. This is true for the following expressions:

Creer: to believe

Estar seguro: to be sure

Saber: to know

es evidente: It is evident

es verdad: It is true

no dudar: to not doubt

EJEMPLOS:

Yo sé que tú eres muy inteligente. (I know that you are very intelligent.)

Es verdad que ella termina el proyecto. (It is true that she finishes the project.)

Yo creo que los incas construyen Machu Picchu. (I believe that the Incas build Machu Picchu.)

A PRACTICAR: Traduce.

1. It is doubtful that he speaks Spanish.

2. It is improbable that I'll come to your house.

3. I am sure that they eat pizza.

4. It is evident that I get good grades.

Uses of the subjunctive: Ojalá

The final use of the subjunctive is the word "Ojalá." This word comes to Spanish from Arabic and means "Allah grant that." In modern usage, the term has come mean "Let's hope that." "Ojalá" is followed by "que" and the subjunctive.

EXAMPLES: Ojalá que tú ganes el partido esta noche.

(Let's hope that you win the game tonight.)

Ojalá que haya buen tiempo este fin de semana.

(Let's hope that there is good weather this weekend.)

Traduce las frases.

1. Let's hope that I get an "A."

2. Let's hope that we have fun. (to have fun = divertirse, e to ie)

Conjunctions that can be used with either subjunctive or indicative

Certain conjunctions can be used with either subjunctive or indicative. These conjunctions are:

En cuanto: As soon as

Mientras: While

después de que: after

tan pronto como: as soon as

cuando: when

hasta que: until

We use the indicative after these conjunctions when the action that follows the conjunction either:

OR

Ejemplos: Yo miraba la televisión hasta que mi amigo llegó

(I watched T.V. until my friend arrived.)

Ella lee mientras yo estudio. (She reads while I study.)

We use the subjunctive after these conjunctions when the action that follows the conjunction has not yet taken place.

Ejemplos:1. Voy a empezar la tarea cuando Nicolás llegue.

(I'm going to start the homework when Nicholas arrives.)

2. Voy a mirar la televisión tan pronto como el programa empiece.

(I'm going to watch T.V. as soon as the program starts.)

II. Antes de que: Before

The conjunction "antes de que" always takes the subjunctive.

Ejemplo: Ella va a cenar antes de que tú vengas.

(She is going to eat dinner before you come over.)

III. Sentences with no change of subject

If we have a sentence with no change of subject with the conjunction después de que, antes de que or hasta que, we need to do 2 things:

AND

Ejemplo: Yo escribí el informe después de visitar el museo.

(I wrote the report after visiting the museum.)

La práctica: Llena los espacios con la forma correcta del verbo.

Now, pick one of the conjunctions. Use the conjunction to write one sentence using the indicative and one using the subjunctive.

More conjunctions that can be used with either subjunctive or indicative

a menos que: unless

con tal de que: provided that

para que: so that, in order that

Sin que: Without

Ejemplos: Te doy el libro para que lo leas.

(I give you the book so that you read it.)

Yo no quiero ir al cine a menos que tú vayas también.

(I don't want to go to the theater unless you go too.)

Yo vengo a la fiesta con tal de que tú vengas también.

(I (will) come to the party provided that you come too.)

Yo hablo por teléfono sin que mi madre me escuche.

(I talk on the telephone without my mom hearing me.)

Como, (A)donde and Aunque as conjunctions

I. Como and (A)donde

These conjunctions are not often used with the subjunctive. They are most often used in the following way along with the verb "querer" to refer to an indefinite future action:

Podemos ir adonde quieras. (We can go wherever you want.)

Ella puede hacer el proyecto como quiera. (She can do the project however she wants.)

II. Aunque: even though, even if

If "aunque" refers to a definite event, we use the indicative. If "aunque" is referring to an indefinite or uncertain event, we use the subjunctive.

EJEMPLOS:

Yo comí el pollo, aunque no me gusto . (I ate the chicken, even though I didn't like it.)

Yo comeré el pollo, aunque no me guste. (I will eat the chicken, even if I don't like it.)

Traduce.

1. We can eat where we want. _______________________________________

2. We go to the park even though it's raining. ____________________________

3. We will go to the park even if it's raining. ______________________________

Tal vez/Quizá(s)

Ejemplos: Tal vez venga a la fiesta. (Maybe I (will) go to the party.)

Quizás comamos en Monical’s esta noche. (Maybe we (will) eat at Monical's tonight.)

When tal vez/quizá(s) follows the verb, that verb is in the indicative.

Ejemplos: Voy al concierto, tal vez. (I (will) go to the concert, maybe.)

Nos vemos el sábado, quizá. (We (will) see each other Saturday, maybe.)

La práctica: Traduce las frases.

1. Maybe we’ll watch the movie.

2. They will play basketball today, maybe.

Subjunctive vs. Indicative in adjective clauses

An adjective clause is a phrase, or part of a sentence, used to describe a noun.

*An adjective clause does NOT necessarily need to include an adjective!

*The noun being described is located in the first part of the sentence (before the “que”). The adjective clause comes after the “que.”

Ejemplo: Yo quiero leer un libro que sea interesante.

(I want to read a book that is interesting.)

The noun being described is "un libro."

The adjective clause is "sea interesante."

As you can see in the above example, a sentence containing an adjective clause has 2 parts separated by the word “que.” Each part of the sentence always contains a verb.

We use the indicative (the present tense) for the verb in the second part of the sentence when the first part of the sentence refers to a person or thing that definitely exists.

Ejemplo: Tengo un amigo que siempre saca buenas notas.

(I have a friend who always gets good grades.)

I’m saying I have this friend, so we know he definitely exists. Therefore we use the indicative.

III. The subjunctive in sentences with adjective clauses

We use the subjunctive for the verb in the second part of the sentence when the first part of the sentence refers to a person or thing that is either:

OR

Ejemplos: Busco un amigo que sea simpático.

(I'm looking for a friend who is nice.)

Note that you don’t know whether or not this person actually exists. We therefore use the subjunctive in the second part of the sentence.

Quiero ir a una ciudad que tenga muchas tiendas.

(I want to go to a city that has a lot of stores.)

Again, we are not referring to any city that definitely exists, so we use the subjunctive.

No hay nadie que sepa la respuesta.

(There is no one who knows the answer.)

Here, the first part of the sentence refers to a person who does not exist. Therefore, we use the subjunctive.

REMEMBER: NO “QUE” = NO SUBJUNCTIVE!!!

In questions involving adjective clauses, the existence of the noun is usually being questioned. Therefore, we generally use the subjunctive.

Ejemplos: Conoces a alguien que tenga un coche?

(Do you know anyone who has a car?)

Hay alguien que conozca a Anita?

(Is there anyone who knows Anita?_

The following phrases in the first part of the sentence will trigger the subjunctive in the second part of the sentence.

*Necesitar + (person/thing) + que……

*Buscar + (person/thing) + que….

*No +conocer + a nadie + que….

*No hay + (person/thing) + que…

Llena los espacios con la forma correcta del verbo. Pay attention to whether the sentence is referring to something definite, indefinite or nonexistent!