How To Know When To Use The Spanish Subjunctive
How To Know When To Use The Spanish Subjunctive
The subjunctive is a verb mood, not a verb tense. It expresses uncertainty or subjectivity. The subjunctive is generally used in Spanish whenever someone is giving information about how probable an action is, whether it is forced, whether it is good or bad, or under what circumstances it will happen. Some standard uses of the Spanish subjunctive are described below.
Possibility
When someone expresses an opinion about how likely an action is, the verb referring to the action will be in the subjunctive. If a sentence starts with ‘es dudoso’ (it is doubtful) or ‘es probable’ (it is probable), a subjunctive verb will always appear in the following clause.
Influence
If someone performs an action not of their own free will, but due to someone else’s influence, the verb describing that action will be in the subjunctive. This includes actions done in response to another person’s advice, suggestion or command. If a sentence contains the verb ‘pedir’ (to ask), the verb relating to what someone is asked to do takes the subjunctive form.
Judgement
If the subject of a main clause expresses an emotional reaction to an action, the verb corresponding to that action takes the subjunctive form. When a phrase like ‘temer’ (to fear) or ’sentir’ (to regret) appears in the main clause, it will be followed by a subjunctive verb.
Conditional Events
If an action will only occur if something else happens first, it is conditional and the verb describing it will be subjunctive. A few Spanish phrases that point toward conditional actions are ‘en caso de que’ (in case), ‘a menos que’ (unless) and ‘con tal que’ (provided that).
The Spanish subjunctive is used in most circumstances where the speaker is not making an objective statement of fact. If a sentence conveys emotion or uncertainty, it will typically contain a subjunctive verb.
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