Chapter 5 Grammar

Question 1

What is the subjunctive mood?

Answer 1

As a mood (as opposed to a tense), the subjunctive allows a speaker to

1. Express a variety of subjective nuances, such as hopes, wishes, desires, doubts, and opinions.
2. To express unknown or hypothetical situations.

Question 2

What is the difference between a “tense” and a “mood”?

Answer 2

A verb tense is a form of a verb that indicates when an action took place, is taking place, or will take place. The present indicative, the present progressive, the preterite, and the imperfect are all verb tenses (the preterite and imperfect are different aspects of the same past tense).

A verb mood refers to a verb form that expresses attitudes toward actions and events. For instance, the “indicative” mood is used to make statements which “indicate” objective, factual, or real information. The “imperative” mood is used to express a “demand.”

Question 3

Does the subjunctive have tenses?

Answer 3

Yes. Like the indicative, the subjunctive has tenses.

The present subjunctive, like the present indicative, expresses what happens regularly, what is happening now, and what is about to happen. The difference is that the present subjunctive views these present-tense events through a subjective, emotional, or contrary-to-fact filter.

Question 4

How do you form a present subjunctive construction?

Answer 4

Person 1 + indicative verb + que + Person 2 + subjunctive verb.

Adela quiere que David venga a la fiesta. 
Adela wants (that) David come to the party.

Question 5

How do you form a subjunctive verb?

Answer 5

Take the present indicative “yo” form of the verb, delete the “o”, and add the subjunctive endings. Using the “yo” form of the present indicative verb assures that any irregularities (such as stem changes) are automatically carried over into the present subjunctive forms.

Question 6

What are the stem endings to a present subjunctive -ar verb?

Answer 6

e
es
e

emos
éis
en

_____

hable
hables
hable

hablemos
habléis
hablen

Question 7

What are the stem endings to a present subjunctive -er and -ir verbs?

Answer 7

a
as
a

amos
áis
an

______

coma
comas
coma

comamos
comáis
coman

escriba
escribas
escriba

escribamos
escribáis
escriban

Question 8

Does the present indicative stem change behavior carry over into all forms of the present subjunctive?

Answer 8

No.

In -ir present indicative stem changing verbs, all forms of the present subjunctive are changed:

pedir -> (yo) pido -> (yo subj) pida

pida
pidas
pida
pidamos
pidáis
pidan

But, in present indicative -ar and -er stem changing verbs, the stem changes follow the same rules as the present indicative (ie: they do not stem change in the nosotros or vosotros forms)

poder -> puedo -> pueda

pueda
puedas
pueda
*podamos
*podáis
puedan

Question 9

What spelling changes need to be accounted for when conjugating to the present subjunctive?

Answer 9

c -> qu
g -> gu
z -> c

buscar: 
busque 
busques 
busque
busquemos
busquéis
busquen

llegar: 
llegue 
llegues
llegue
lleguemos
lleguéis
lleguen

comenzar: 
comience
comiences
comience
comencemos 
comencéis
comencen

Question 10

Conjugate “dar” into the present subjunctive:

Answer 10

dé
des
dé

demos
deis
den

Question 11

Conjugate “estar” into the present subjunctive:

Answer 11

esté
estés
esté

estemos
estéis
estén

Question 12

Conjugate “ir” into the present subjunctive:

Answer 12

vaya
vayas
vaya

vayamos
vayáis
vayan

Question 13

Conjugate “saber” into the present subjunctive:

Answer 13

sepa
sepas
sepa

sepamos
sepáis
sepan

Question 14

Conjugate “ser” into the present subjunctive:

Answer 14

sea
seas
sea

seamos
seáis
sean

Question 15

Conjugate “haber” into the present subjunctive:

Answer 15

haya
hayas
haya

hayamos
hayáis
hayan

Question 16

What does every subjunctive sentence require?

Answer 16

A main (indicative) clause and a subordinate subjunctive clause. This construction, though variant in what the main clause is stating, is always the structure of a subjunctive sentence.

Question 17

What are the different main clauses that trigger the subjunctive?

Answer 17

• Impersonal expressions (but, ones that aren’t general fact, but have some intimacy with one’s opinion)
  Es dudoso que ella conozca bien.
  It’s doubtful that she cooks well.
• Volition (wishes or desires)
  Quiero que tu camine con nos.
  I want you to walk with us.
• Emotion - hope, happiness, sadness, regret
  Me gusta que mi familia venga a verme.
  I’m happy that my family is coming to see me.
• Advice
  Sugiero que te tome la tren.
  I suggest that you take the train.
• Doubt or uncertainty
  Dudo que ellos sean inteligente.
  I doubt that they are intelligent.
  Buscamos un apartamento que sea grande y barato.
  We are looking for an apartment that is big and cheap (but we don’t know if this actually exists).
• To express possibility (or impossibility). This uses the term “aunque” - “although.”
  Voy al cine aunque no vayan mis amigos.
  I’ll go to the movies, although my friends may not go.
• After ojalá:
  Ojalá que te recibas el cheque.
  I hope that you receive the check.

Question 18

What does the suffix “-quiera” mean?

Answer 18

“ever”:

a/dondequiera - “wherever”
cualquiera - “whichever”
quienquiera - “whoever”

The use of a “quiera” word typically triggers the subjunctive.