The Spanish Subjunctive Mood
The subjunctive is used to discuss things that are uncertain or subjective. These mnemonics help you remember the phrases that trigger it — and the ones that never do.
WEIRDO
Triggers that introduce the subjunctive
| Meaning | Example | Trigger verbs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| W | will, wishes, wants | Él quiere que lo llames. (He wants you to call him.) | desear, insistir, necesitar, preferir, querer |
| E | emotion | Me alegro de que ellos visiten. (I’m happy that they are going to visit.) | alegrarse, esperar, sentir |
| I | impersonal expressions | Era imposible que llegaran a tiempo. (It was impossible for them to arrive on time.) | es bueno, es imposible, es importante, es malo |
| R | requests | Te pido que limpies tu cuarto. (I’m asking you to clean your room.) | mandar, pedir, permitir, recomendar, rogar, sugerir |
| D | doubt | Dudo que me esperes. (I doubt you’ll wait for me.) | dudar, negar, no creer, no pensar |
| O | Ojalá | Ojalá vengan. (I hope they come.) |
WEDDING
Another way to remember the subjunctive triggers
| W | wishes, wants | Prefiero que vayamos temprano. (I prefer that we leave early.) |
| E | emotion | Espero que ustedes hayan hecho la tarea. (I hope you have done the homework.) |
| D | doubt | Ellos dudaban que pudieran venir. (They doubted that they would be able to come.) |
| D | desire | ¿Quieres que venga yo también? (Do you want me to come too?) |
| I | impersonal expressions | Es importante que estudiemos. (It’s important that we study.) |
| N | negation | No creen que conozcas a Meryl Streep. (They don’t believe that you know Meryl Streep.) |
| G | God | Dios quiera que no hayan más problemas con el carro. (God willing there won’t be any more problems with the car.) |
ESCAPA
These phrases always require the subjunctive in the subordinate clause — They always require the subjunctive because they express purpose, intention or condition.
| E | en caso de que | Traigo mi paraguas en caso de que llueva. (I’m bringing my umbrella in case it rains.) |
| S | sin que | No vamos a llegar sin que les avisemos. (We won’t show up without letting them know.) |
| C | con tal de que | No me enojo con tal de que me digas la verdad. (I won’t get mad provided you tell the truth.) |
| A | a menos que | No voy a menos que me lleves. (I’m not going unless you take me.) |
| P | para que | Habla despacio para que yo pueda entender. (Speak slower so that I can understand.) |
| A | antes de que | Antes de que te vayas, vamos a hacerte una fiesta. (Before you go we’re going to throw you a party.) |
CHAD ATE
These phrases sometimes trigger the subjunctive. The subordinate clause will be in the subjunctive when a future action is being referred to. It will be in the indicative when the speaker is referring to habitual actions or actions that have been completed.
| Phrase | Subjunctive (future) | Indicative (habitual) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | cuando | Llámame cuando llegues. (Call me when you arrive.) | Ella siempre me llama cuando llega. (She always calls me when she arrives.) |
| H | hasta que | Vamos a buscar piso hasta que encontremos el mejor apartamento. (We’ll look for a place until we find the perfect apartment.) | Me visitaron hasta que me fui. (They visited me until I left.) |
| A | aunque | Aunque estudie mucho, no voy a aprobar este examen. (Even if I study a lot, I’m not going to pass this test.) | Aunque hay mucha gente aquí, hay suficiente comida para todos. (Even though there are a lot of people here, there’s plenty of food for everyone.) |
| D | después de que | Ella irá después de que hable contigo. (She’ll leave after she talks to you.) | Nos acostamos después de que comemos. (We go to bed after we eat.) |
| A | así que | Iré a la reunión así que puedas quedarte en casa. (I’ll go to the meeting so you can stay home.) | Así que estaba ocupado, decidí esperar. (Since he was busy, I decided to wait.) |
| T | tan pronto como | La profesora va a explicarles la tarea tan pronto como terminen la prueba. (The teacher will explain the homework as soon as they finish the quiz.) | Juan pidió una cerveza tan pronto como llegó al restaurante. (Juan ordered a beer as soon as he arrived at the restaurant.) |
| E | en cuanto | Viajaré a España en cuanto tenga el dinero. (I’ll travel to Spain as soon as I have the money.) | Isabel siempre va al banco en cuanto recibe su paga. (Isabel always goes to the bank as soon as she gets paid.) |
Never use the subjunctive with certainty
These phrases express certainty, so they take the indicative.
| Phrase | Example |
|---|---|
| ahora que | Van a comprar la casa ahora que pueden. (They’re going to buy the house now that they can.) |
| creer | ¿Crees que las pinturas de Picasso son buenas? (Do you think Picasso’s paintings are good?) |
| desde que | Todo parece bien desde que pintamos. (Everything looks good since we painted.) |
| no dudar | No dudo que has practicado mucho. (I don’t doubt you practiced a lot.) |
| pensar | Pienso que ella es guapa. (I think she’s pretty.) |
| porque | Le dieron el trabajo a ella porque tiene mucha experiencia. (They gave her the job because she has a lot of experience.) |
| saber | Sabemos que quieres venir con nosotros. (We know you want to come with us.) |
| ya que | Los niños están afuera ya que hace buen tiempo. (The kids are outside since the weather is nice.) |
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