When you started learning Spanish, you probably learned the indicative tense. The indicative tense is used to express facts and certainty. It is comparable to an declarative sentence (a sentence that relays information). But what if the statement we want to express holds uncertainty or isn't about a fact, but rather something abstract? If this is the case, we use the subjunctive tense.
The subjunctive tense is used to express doubt, desires, emotions, necessity, uncertainty, and hopes.
The following is a chart of how to conjugate for the present subjunctive tense:
There is an acronym used to remember the different ideas that trigger the subjunctive tense. It is "WEIRDO":
So if we want to talk about a wish, we would use the subjunctive tense instead of the indicative. A sentence that uses the subjunctive would be, "I hope that I get a good grade." The mentioned sentence is not a fact, instead it is a desire. Therefore, it triggers the subjunctive tense instead of the indicative tense.
Let's take a look of example sentences for each of the words in WEIRDO:
W = Wish/Will, Desires
Wanting someone to do something, wishing for something, expecting something, and ordering something all falls into this category.
An example sentence would be "I want my friends to hang out with me tomorrow" ("Quiero que mis amigos pasen el tiempo conmigo mañana.")
E = Emotion
This one can be a little tricky. Emotions can be expressed in the indicative ("I feel stressed" is a fact and thus indicative). Emotions in the subjunctive tense are uncertain. They are possibilities, things that haven't happened yet, or continuous actions.
For example, "It makes me happy that you smile," would be the subjunctive tense. This is because the action of "you smile[ing]" isn't happening at the moment. It is just an idea that is able to be fulfilled. It is a possibility.
The Spanish translation would be, "Me alegro de que sonrías." Notice that the second part of the sentence, "sonrías" is conjugated in the subjunctive tense. This is because the first part of the sentence "It makes me happy" is a fact, while the second part ("that you smile") is a possibility.
I = Impersonal Expression
Impersonal Expressions state someone's opinion on something. They are often subjective statements such as "It is necessary that you take Chemistry." ("Es necessary que tomes la clase de química.")
R = Requests/Recommendation
This is used when you, someone else, or multiple people recommend, suggests, asks, or wants another person to do (or not to do) something.
For example, "My mother recommends that I clean my room." ("Mi madre recomienda que limpie mi cuarto.")
D = Doubt/Denial
Doubt and denial triggers the subjunctive.
"I doubt that she knows how to speak Spanish."
"Dudo que ella saba como hablar Español."
O = Ojalá
Ojalá is a word to express "I hope", "God wills", "I wish", "If only", or any other strong statement along those lines. It triggers the subjunctive when used, and you can say "Ojalá que" or simply just "Ojalá" by itself.
For example, you can say:
"Ojalá que mis padres se lleven bien." ("I hope that my parents get along well.")
OR
"Ojalá mis padres se lleven bien." ("I hope that my parents get along well.")
Remember that for other verbs, you must use the "que". For "Ojalá", you do not.
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Now, go out there and explore the possibilities with the subjunctive tense! If you have any questions regarding this topic, or if you would like to request a different grammar topic to be explained, let us know via the chat box on the bottom left of this website or reach us in person. Until next time, ¡Ciao!
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