2. Verbs show the action and they
also show a tense and a mood.
The tense tells you
the time of the
action
Present, preterit,
future, etc are
tenses.
The mood tells
the speaker’s
attitude towards
the action.
Indicative,
commands and
the subjunctive
are moods.
3. INDICATIVE VS SUBJUNCTIVE
You are late.
I am sick.
Juan studies
It is important
that you be on
time.
I wish I were not
sick.
The teacher insists
that he study.
4. What is the “subjunctive”?
The present subjunctive is a “mood” in
Spanish. It is used to express
uncertainty, doubt, emotional reaction, or
future actions.
The subjunctive conjugation of a verb is
usually used in the second part of a
sentence.
For example, I may say, “I want you to study.” You
may or may not do it, so the word “to study” would
be conjugated in the present subjunctive.
5. Setup Words
These words, used in the first clause of a sentence, set up the
use of the subjunctive in the second clause. What is said after
these words may or may not happen, so the conjugation of the
second verb is not the present tense as you know it.
querer (ie) = to want
sugerir (ie) = to suggest
recomendar (ie) = to recommend
insistir en = to insist
esperar = to hope
ojalá que = hopefully / it’s hopeful
6. Subjunctive in Context
To set up the
subjunctive
there are
three things
that must be
in the
sentence.
1. One of the setup
words
2. The word “que”
3. A verb that shows
a subject change
7. Notice that the SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD consists of
two clauses, joined together by “que” :
It is bad that we can’t go.
-Es horrible que no podamos ir.
It’s scandalous that she is
wearing that dress.
-Es escandaloso que ella lleve ese vestido.
It bothers me that he can’t
come.
-Me molesta que él no pueda venir
8. Forming the Subjunctive
In order to conjugate a verb in the present subjunctive, you have
to know well the conjugations of the present indicative (the
present tense that you already know).
1. First: Put the verb in the “yo” form of the present tense.
hablo como vivo
2. Next: Drop the ‘o’
habl_ com_ viv_
3. Last: Add an opposite ending. This means for -ar verbs, use -er
endings, and for -er/-ir verbs, use -ar endings.
hable coma viva
10. A. Rewrite the following verbs in
the subjunctive.
Yo Tú él Nosotros Ellos
1. Hablar ____ ____ ____ ____ ____
2. Comer ____ ____ ____ ____ ____
3. Dormir ____ ____ ____ ____ ____
(o-ue)
4. Leer ____ ____ ____ ____ ____
5. Pensar ____ ____ ____ ____ ____
(e-ie)
11. B. Traduzca al español.
1. I recommend that you have your passport.
2. We suggest that they (boys) drink their
water before (antes de …) boarding.
3. I want that you talk to the travel agent
tomorrow.
4. You prefer that the plane leaves early.
5. The pilot wants that the passengers listen.
