The Present Subjunctive

The Subjunctive l Up to now you have been using verbs in the indicative mood, which is used to talk about facts or actual events.

The Subjunctive l Aprendo francés para mi viaje. l Matt escuchaba la música en clase mientras Señora enseñaba. l Uds. tomaron apuntes ayer.

The Subjunctive l In addition to the indicative mood, which is used to express what really happens, Spanish has another mood called subjunctive.

The Subjunctive l The subjunctive is used to talk about what one wishes, wants, hopes, doubts, recommends and needs.

The Subjunctive l A sentence that includes the subjunctive form has two parts connected by the word que. l For example:

The Subjunctive l Quiero que tú respires lentamente. l I want you to breathe slowly.

The Subjunctive l Sugiero que bebas agua antes de correr. l I suggest that you drink water before running.

The Subjunctive l El entrenador exige que los atletas estiren los músculos. l The trainer demands that the athletes stretch their muscles.

The Subjunctive l Note that the subjunctive sentences have two parts, each with a different subject, connected by the word que:

2 Clauses Ella sugiere que yo aprenda francés Independent clause (stands on its own) Subject > Verb Separated by the word “que” Dependent clause (can’t stand on its own) Begins with the word “que.” Indicative Verb Subjunctive Verb

The Subjunctive l We form the present subjunctive of most verbs the same way we form negative tú commands.

The Subjunctive l We drop the -o of the present-tense indicative yo form and add the subjunctive endings.

The Subjunctive l For -ar verbs: l e, es, e, emos, éis, en l For -er/-ir verbs: l a, as, a, amos, áis, an

SALTAR – to jump salte saltes salte saltemos saltéis salten

CONOCER – to know conozca conozcas conozca conozcamos conozcáis conozcan

DECIR – to say/tell diga digas diga digamos digáis digan

The Subjunctive l The present subjunctive has the same spelling changes and irregular yo form changes used with the negative tú commands and Ud./Uds. commands.

Irregular Subjunctive Verbs l As in negative commands, irregular verbs that add a “g” to the stem in the present-tense yo form also have a “g” in the present subjunctive.

Irregular Subjunctive Verbs l caerse l decir l hacer l poner l salir l tener l traer

Irregular Subjunctive Verbs hacer hag-ohaga tener teng-otenga

Irregular Subjunctive Verbs l Also verbs ending in –car, -gar, and –zar have a spell change in order to maintain the original sound.

Irregular Subjunctive Verbs buscar buscobusque pagarpagopague cruzarcruzocruce

The Subjunctive l The first subject uses the present indicative verb (recommendation, suggestion, prohibition, and so on) + que and the second subject uses the present subjunctive verb (what should happen).

The Subjunctive l Things that trigger use of the subjunctive include: » Wishes » Emotion » Denial » Doubt » Impersonal Expressions » Need/Necessity » God (Ojalá que)

The Subjunctive l Verbs that are often followed by que + subjunctive: l Decir l Insistir en l Necesitar l Permitir l Preferir (e > ie) l Aconsejar l Buscar… l Prohibir l Mandar l Querer (e > ie) l Recomendar (e > ie) l Sugerir (e > ie) l Esperar l Dudar

The Subjunctive l Positive = indicative l Negative = subjunctive Creo que + indicativeNo creo que + subjunctive Pienso que + indicativeNo pienso que + subjunctive Es cierto que + indicativeNo es cierto que + subjunctive Estoy seguro que +indicativeNo estoy seguro que + subjunctive Es verdad que + indicativeNo es verdad que + subjunctive Me parece que + indicativeNo me parece que + subjunctive

The Subjunctive l You can also suggest more general or impersonal ideas using expressions such as es necesario…es bueno…and es importante…, followed by que and a form of the present subjunctive.

The Subjunctive l Es necesario que hagas ejercicio. l It’s necessary that you exercise. l Es importante que los jóvenes coman bien. l It’s important that young people eat well.

The Subjunctive l Some impersonal expressions that are followed by que + subjunctive: Ojalá No hay nadie Es dudoso Es necesario Es fácil Es importante Es posible Más vale Puede ser Es mejor Es malo Es increíble