The Spanish subjunctive mood is mainly used in sentences with multiple clauses that express will and influence, emotion, and doubt or denial. The main clause is typically followed by a noun clause that serves as the object of the verb of will, influence, etc. (e.g. I hope that you have a good day).
The Subjunctive Mood in Noun Clauses
An example of a noun clause in English would be, “I ask that you go to the doctor.” The subject (I) of the main clause, therefore, exerts influence or will on the subject of the subordinate clause (you), and both subjects are different. In Spanish the subjunctive mood is used in the subordinate noun clause in the following way:
Yo pido (main clause) + que (connector) + tú vayas al medico (subordinate clause with present subjunctive mood tú vayas). Note that the verb in the main clause (pido) is in the indicative mood.
The foregoing construction also includes some impersonal expressions such as es necesario que, es importante que, es urgente que. Example: Es urgente que tú vayas al medico.
Common Verbs that Precede Noun Clauses Taking the Subjunctive in Spanish
Verbs of Will and Influence:
aconsejar -to advise
desear - to wish; to desire
exigir - to demand
importar - to be important; to matter
insistir (en) - to insist (on)
mandar - to order
necesitar - to need
oponerse a - to oppose
pedir - to ask (for)
preferir - to prefer
prohibir - to prohibit
proponer - to propose
querer - to want
recomendar - to recommend
rogar - to beg; to plead
sugerir - to suggest
Two examples using a verb of will or influence and a connector (que) with a noun clause and subjunctive:
Necesito que _busque_s a mi hermana en la iglesia. (I need you to look for my sister in the church.)
El medico siempre me recomienda que deje de comer comida basura. (The doctor always recommends that I stop eating junk food.)
Verbs of Emotion
alegrarse (de) - to be happy about
es extraño - it’s strange
es ridiculo - it’s ridiculous
es terrible - it’s terrible
es una pena - it’s a pity
esperar - to hope; to wish
gustar - to like; to be pleasing
molestar - to bother
ojalá que - I hope; I wish
sentir - to be sorry; to regret
sorprender - to surprise
temer - to fear
tener miedo (de) - to be afraid of
Two examples:
Me sorprende que no quieras salir a correr. (I am surprised that you don’t want to go running.)
Ojalá que te recuperes pronto. (I hope you get well soon.)
Verbs of Doubt or Denial
dudar - to doubt
negar - to deny
no creer - to disbelieve (but the affirmative of creer does not take the subjunctive)
no es verdad - it’s not true (but the affirmative es verdad does not take the subjunctive)
es imposible - it’s impossible
es improbable - it’s improbable
es poco seguro - it’s uncertain
(no) es possible - it’s (not possible)
(no) es probable - it’s not probable
Two examples:
No es verdad que Margarita vaya con nosotros. (It’s not true that Margarita is going with us.)
No creo que Mauricio quiera consultar a un dentista. (I don’t believe Mauricio wants to consult with a dentist.)
Read more about the subjunctive mood in noun clauses at:
About.com: Spanish Language - Introduction to the Subjunctive Mood
University of Indiana’s website: Subjunctive Mood in Noun Clauses
Durham University (UK) web page “The Subjunctive Mood in Spanish ”
Bright Hub The Forms and Functions of Noun Clauses in English
This post is part of the series: Learning Spanish: The Subjunctive Mood
Spanish verbs come in two moods: the indicative (stating the real) and the subjunctive (stating the hypothetical or wishes). This series is all about the subjunctive, which Spanish uses much more extensively than English.
