38 17th Subjunctive Sentences + Explanations Flashcards
The subjunctive indicators are easier to learn if you understand the basic reasons to use the subjunctive that each list represents. The mnemonic device WEIRD may help you remember the five basic reasons for using the subjunctive:
Wish Emotion Impersonal Expressions Requests Doubt (of existence or of occurrence)
If the point of a sentence is to express a hope, desire, or need, the subjunctive is used for the verb that is wished. When the first clause indicates that what follows is not necessarily a reality, but rather something the subject of the first clause desires or needs, the verb after que must be in the subjunctive. It does not matter whether these are basic sentences or questions, nor does it matter whether they are affirmative or negative. You must use the subjunctive after que if one of these verbs of desire is somewhere before que.
In the sample sentences below, the subjunctive indicator is boldface and the verb that is conjugated in the subjunctive mood is underlined. Pay attention to what the subjunctive conjugation looks like and what verb was used in the beginning of the sentence that required the present subjunctive conjugation after que.
to desire, to want
desear
He doesn’t want me to call him.
Él no desea que yo lo llame.
My dog hopes that we take a walk.
Mi perro espera que demos un paseo.
We need you to introduce us to your parents.
Necesitamos que tú nos presentes a tus padres.
Carlos does not want his daughter to play the drums.
Carlos no quiere que su hija toque el tambor.
In “two‐verb” sentences where there is no change of subject (and no que), the first verb is conjugated and the second is in the infinitive form.
These verbs are often used without que, but only if the subject is the same for both verbs.
He wants to buy a new computer.
Who wants? He does. Who buys? He does.
Él desea comprar una computadora nueva.
We hope to win a lot of games.
Who hopes? We do. Who wins? We do.
Esperamos ganar muchos partidos.
Everyone needs to bring his or her notebook.
Who needs? Everyone. Who brings? Everyone.
Todos necesitan traer sus cuadernos.
English sentences often use an infinitive even when there is a change of subject. For example, you cannot translate the following sentence into Spanish word for word: “ He doesn’t want me to go.” It is better to think of this sentence as “He doesn’t want that I go” because, in Spanish, you cannot use the infinitive when there are two different subjects in the sentence and the main verb is a subjunctive indicator.
One common expression used to express a wish is somewhat unusual because it is impersonal. The expression ojalá is one exception in which you use the subjunctive mood without que. An Arabic expression that means “may Allah grant that,” ojalá is used in Spanish to mean “hopefully” or “if only.” Because it is impersonal, there is no subject and it is technically not conjugated. It is always written in the same form and is always followed by the subjunctive mood even if there is no que.
Hopefully, you will bring the address.
Ojalá que traigas las direcciones.
Hopefully, we will see your boyfriend tonight.
Ojalá veamos a su novio esta noche.
Hopefully, he will not lose his passport.
Ojalá que no pierda su pasaporte.
EMOTION
When the first clause expresses an emotion about what is happening in the second clause, the verb in the second clause (after que) is in the subjunctive mood. Therefore, verbs that express emotion are subjunctive indicators. Many verbs of emotion are very similar to the verb gustar.
The Spanish versions of “it angers me” or “it disappoints him” use an impersonal sentence structure, which means the subject of the sentence is “it.” For this reason, the verb stays in the él form. An indirect object, such as le, is used to reflect the individual who is feeling the emotion. The sample sentences below demonstrate how indirect objects other than le are used with these verbs. Notice that when the sentence is negative, the no precedes the indirect object and the verb following que is still in the subjunctive.
it moves/affects (him) that =
Les conmueve que su abuela se mude hoy.
le) conmueve que
It moves them that their grandmother is moving today.
To affect
conmover
it disappoints (him) that
It does not disappoint me that your team always loses
le) desilusiona que
No me desilusiona que tu equipo siempre pierda.
it thrills (him) that =
(le) emociona que
it delights (him) that It delights us that you guys visit us.
(le) encanta que
Nos encanta que ustedes nos visiten.
it angers (him) that
Does it anger you that the politicians do not listen to you?
(le) enfada que
¿Le enfada a Ud. que los políticos no le escuchen?
it angers (him) that
It angers me that the greedy ones have all the money.
(le) enoja que
Me enoja que los avaros tengan todo el dinero.
it saddens (him) that
It saddens her that the poor live in the streets.
(le) entristece que
Le entristece que los pobres vivan en las calles.
it pleases (him) that
It does not please me that you always forget my birthday.
(le) gusta que
No me gusta que tu siempre olvides mi cumpleaños.
it makes (him) happy that
Does it make them happy that I am painting their house?
le) hace feliz que
¿Les hace felices que yo pinte su casa?
it makes (him) (emotion) that
It makes us happy that you do not have any problem.
(le) hace (emoción) que
Nos hace feliz que no tengas ningún problema.
it irritates (him) that
It irritates them that you know everything.
le) irrita que
Les irrita que sepas todo.
it bothers (him) that
It does not bother Rafael that I speak with his Boss.
(le) molesta que
A Rafael no le molesta que yo hable con su jefe.
it makes (him) content that
It makes them content that he give them good advice.
(le) pone contento que
Las pone contentas que él les dé buenos consejos.
it makes (him) (emotion) that
It makes you sad that I cannot attend your presentation.
le) pone (emoción) que
Te pone triste que yo no pueda asistir a tu presentación.
it surprises (him) that
It does not surprise me that you want to marry her.
(le) sorprende que
No me sorprende que tú quieras casarte con ella
Listed below are more subjunctive indicators that express emotion. Unlike the verbs above, these verbs must be conjugated in order to agree with the subject of the first clause. Notice that the verb following que must be in the subjunctive mood. The subjunctive indicator is bold and the verb that is conjugated in the subjunctive mood is underlined.
If the verb has se attached to the infinitive, it is reflexive. You may be able to remember reflexive pronouns after looking at the sample sentences.
to be happy that
I am happy that Raquel uses the foreign language.
alegrarse de que
Me alegro de que Raquel utilice el idioma extranjero
to be proud that
They are not proud that their son has problems with the law.
enorgullecerse de que
No se enorgullecen de que su hijo tenga problemas con la ley.
to be delighted that
They are delighted that we are giving them a TV.
estar encantado de que
Ellas están encantadas de que les regalemos una televisión.
to regret that
Toni regrets that I do not ski every day.
lamentar que
Toni lamenta que no yo esquíe cada día
to regret that
Constanza and Pilar regret that your book is ripped.
sentir (e> ie) que
Constanza y Pilar sienten que tu libro esté roto.
to fear that
Are you afraid that your son believes in monsters?
temer que
¿Temes que tu hijo crea en monstruos?
to be afraid that
They are not afraid that the corporations will rob them.
tener miedo de que
Ellos no tienen miedo de que las corporaciones los roben.
Impersonal expressions
There are many expressions in Spanish that are considered impersonal because they do not have a specific person as the subject. They are always conjugated in the él form because the subject is “it.” These expressions often indicate some sort of opinion about the clause that follows que. Because the focus of the sentence is on the opinion being expressed rather than on the action of the verb that comes after que, that verb is in the subjunctive.
Notice in the examples that follow that the verb is already conjugated in the él form. Most of the expressions include es + adjective + que. With a few exceptions (which are explained later), any impersonal expression constructed using es + adjective + que will be followed by a verb in the subjunctive. It does not matter whether these expressions are affirmative or negative, sentences or questions.
In the sample sentences, the subjunctive indicator is bold and the verb that is conjugated in the subjunctive mood is underlined
it is advisable that
It is not advisable that you visit without calling.
conviene que
No conviene que visites sin llamar.
it is better that
It is better that your friends protect you.
más vale que
Más vale que tus amigos te protejan.
it may be that
It may be that Rebeca will not continue attending that school.
puede ser que
Puede ser que Rebeca no siga asistiendo a esa escuela.
it is good that
It is not good that Daniel whines when he has homework.
es bueno que
No es bueno que Daniel gima cuando tiene tarea.
it is unlikely that
It is unlikely that he will return your magazine.
es difícil que
Es difícil que devuelva tu periódico.
it is doubtful that
It is doubtful that we will eat lunch today.
es dudoso que
Es dudoso que almorcemos hoy.
it is likely that
It is likely that they will punish the thief.
es fácil que
Es fácil que ellos castiguen al ladrón.
it is fantastic that
It is fantastic that you play jai alai.
es fantástico que
Es fantástico que juegues jai alai.
it is time that
Is it time that we leave for the airport?
es hora de que
¿Es hora de que salgamos para el aeropuerto?
it is important that
It is important that you hug your children.
es importante que
Es importante que abrace a sus hijos .
it is impossible that
It is impossible that television does not influence children.
es imposible que
Es imposible que la televisión no influya en los niños.
The double negation in Spanish “no and impossible” does not produce a change of the meaning to “possible,” as in English.
it is unlikely that
It is unlikely that Susan will drown because she swims well.
es improbable que
Es improbable que Susana se ahogue porque ella nada bien.
it is incredible that
It is incredible that we sleep so many hours each night.
es increíble que
Es increíble que durmamos tantas horas cada noche.
it is a shame that
It is a shame that Belinda dresses so badly.
es (una) lástima que
Es una lástima que Belinda se vista tan mal .
it is bad that
It is bad that we pollute nature.
es malo que
Es malo que contaminemos la naturaleza.
it is better that
It is better that you choose something very comfortable.
es mejor que
Es mejor que escojas algo muy cómodo.
it is necessary that
It is not necessary that they convince me.
es necesario que
No es necesario que me convenzan.
it is possible that
It is possible that I have the newspaper at home.
es posible que
Es posible que yo tenga el periódico en casa.
it is necessary that
It is necessary that you arrive on time.
es preciso que
Es preciso que Uds. lleguen a tiempo.
it is preferable that
It is preferable that Manuela explain it.
es preferible que
Es preferible que Manuela lo explique.
it is ridiculous that
It is ridiculous that she does not know the address.
es ridículo que
Es ridículo que ella no sepa la dirección.
it is terrible that
It is terrible that kids do not communicate with their parents.
es terrible que
Es terrible que los niños no se comuniquen con sus padres.
it is sad that
It is sad that the house is not worth more.
es triste que
Es triste que la casa no valga más.
An impersonal expression does not need to express doubt in order to be followed by the subjunctive, but the few impersonal expressions that completely eliminate doubt (affirmative expressions of certainty) are followed by the indicative.
Note: Verbs that express certainty are subjunctive indicators only when used negatively. Look carefully at the following sample sentences for each expression in this category. These affirmative expressions of certainty are not subjunctive indicators and no verb is conjugated in the subjunctive mood, so there is nothing bold or underlined in the sample sentences.
it is clear that
It is clear that the player lies to his girlfriend.
es claro que
Es claro que el jugador le miente a su novia.
