The Subjunctive

Year 12

All too frequently, the topic of the subjunctive is made far

more difficult than is necessary. Let's try a slightly different approach, with the goal of making this topic less

troublesome.

¿Cuando va a venir María?

¡Dudo que venga!

What is the subjunctive?

The subjunctive is not a tense; rather, it is a mood. Tense refers when an action takes place (past,

present, future), while mood merely reflects how the speaker feels about the action. The subjunctive mood is

rarely used in English, but it is widely used in Spanish.

• So far, you have studied verb tenses in the indicative mood. The indicative mood is used to express factual information, certainty, and objectivity.

• Usted va a Perú en diciembre.You are going to Peru in December.

• The above sentence merely reports the fact that you are going to Peru in December, so the indicative mood is used.

• Let's make a change to our example:

• Dudo que usted vaya a Perú en diciembre.I doubt that you are going to Peru in December.

• In the above sentence, the clause "dudo" introduces a quality of uncertainty, -- the speaker does have doubt, so here the subjunctive mood is used in the second clause (vaya).

• The subjunctive mood is used to express everything except certainty and objectivity: things like doubt, uncertainty, subjectivity, etc.

• Yo dudo que usted vaya a Perú en diciembre.I doubt that you are going to Peru in December.

• Since the above statement does not express certainty, the subjunctive (vaya) is required in the second clause.

The difference between indicative and subjunctive is the difference

between: certainty/objectivity (indicative)

and possibility/subjectivity

(subjunctive).

Esta soy yo

• Soy una mujer de 60 años

• Me gusta mucho escribir y hacer jardinería

• Tengo 2 nietos guapísimos

• Soy viuda

Busco un hombre…

• …que sea muy amable

• …que ame la naturaleza

• …que sea inteligente

• …que me haga reir

¡Qué horror!

• Este hombre no me gusta

• Es un hombre joven y yo quiero un hombre que sea de mi edad

Más detalles de mi hombre ideal, pues me gustaría…

• …que fuera romántico

• …que me llevara a bailes

• …que fuéramos a conciertos juntos

No, no…

• Quiero que sea de mi edad, pero no tan viejo

• Este hombre no puede bailar y yo quiero que baile

Sí, sí, este hombre me gusta…

• Es un hombre de mi edad

• Es un hombre aventurero

• Es un hombre atractivo

Ahora sólo falta…

• …que me quiera• …que me ame• …que me adore• …que quiera a mis

hijos• …y que nos

enamoremos

In pairs using the words given to you, re-create the spider diagram as below.

Subjunctive

Need

Conjunctions

futurity

purpose

Negative commands

other

Ask / advice

whatever/however

perhapsverbs

possibility constructions

Emotion

Wish

ojala

verbsother

constructions

Doubt / Uncertainty

Attach the following words by their appropriate bubbles

hace falta que

me alegro

de modo que

tengo miedo

con tal que

asi que

Para que cuandoHasta que

Me alegro No creo gustaria

es necesario

de forma que

digan lo que

digan

despues de que

pase lo que pase

antes de que

sin que querer mientras en cuanto dudar desear

aconsejar pedirno

piensono es que una vez siento

hasta queEs

posible que

tan pronto como

es important

e que

es probable

que

no puede ser que

Translate the following sentences in Spanish, which sentences are indicative

and which are subjunctive?

1. John goes to the store.2. I hope that John goes to the store.3. I want John to go to the store.4. I know that John goes to the store.5. It’s good that John goes to the store.6. It is possible that John goes to the store.7. There is no doubt that John goes to the

store.8. It is possible that John will go to the store.