Authors: Julie Gutin
The Everything Spanish Grammar Book: All The Rules You Need To Master Espanol (Everything®) (25 page)
ESSENTIAL
If the subject of the main verb and the dependent verb match, the
que
clause is dropped and the dependent verb remains in the infinitive form. Compare:
Quiero que vayan a la obra de
teatro.
(I want them to go to the theater performance.)
Quiero
ir a la obra de teatro.
(I want to go to the theater performance.) In the second example, the subjunctive mood isn’t necessary.
Here are a few examples to help you see how this works:
No estoy seguro que ellos tengan su propia tienda de campaña.
I’m not sure that they have their own tent.
Prefiero que haga sol.
I prefer it to be sunny.
Tú siempre quieres que tus hijos se comporten bien.
You always want your kids to behave well.
Mona nos pide que la ayudemos a coser los disfraces.
Mona asks us to help her sew the costumes.
Impersonal Constructions
When the main clause is an impersonal construction with no clear subject, the
que
clause may be in the subjunctive mood to show that the statement is hypothetical or potential, or to show the speaker’s attitude or emotion. Common impersonal phrases that are frequently used with the subjunctive include the following:
| es bueno que | it’s good that |
| es dudoso que | it’s doubtful that |
| es importante que | it’s important that |
| es malo que | it’s bad that |
| es mejor que | it’s better that |
| es necesario que | it’s necessary that |
| es probable que | it’s probable that |
| es triste que | it’s sad that |
| es una lástima que | it’s a pity that |
Here are two examples:
Es bueno que mi hermana no esté enferma.
It’s good that my sister isn’t ill.
Es necesario que ustedes se laven las manos antes de comer.
It’s necessary for you to wash your hands before eating.
In impersonal constructions, the verb inside the
que
clause must have a subject (in the previous examples, the subjects are
mi hermana
and
ustedes)
. If there’s no subject—that is, if the second part of the sentence following
que
is also impersonal—the infinitive is used instead. Compare the following:
Es importante que ustedes lleguen a tiempo.
It’s important that you arrive on time.
Es importante llegar a tiempo.
It’s important to arrive on time.
FACT
Subjunctive mood is sometimes translated with the word “might.” For example:
Ellos parecen cansados; tal vez
tengan hambre.
(They look tired; they might be hungry.) Note that the first part of the sentence is in the indicative mood—the speaker indicates how “they” look. The second part, in the subjunctive, is less certain—it’s just a guess the speaker is making.
Subjunctive Mood in Adverbial Clauses
An adverbial clause is a clause (or group of words) that modifies the verb. In some adverbial clauses that include a verb, the verb should be conjugated in the subjunctive mood. Take a look at the following example:
Marisa rega los flores para que no se marchiten.
Marisa waters the flowers so that they don’t wilt.
As you can see,
no se marchiten
is introduced by the conjunction
para que
and not
que.
Other conjunctions that make the adverbial phrase subjunctive include these:
| a fin de que | in order that |
| a menos que | unless |
| antes (de) que | before |
| con tal (de) que | provided that |
| como | as |
| cuando | when |
| en caso de que | in case |
| sin que | without |
In addition, the following conjunctions may require the use of subjunctive in the adverbial clause, depending on context:
| aunque | although |
| como | how |
| de manera que | so that |
| donde | where |
| mientras | while |
| según | according to |
For example, compare the following two sentences. The first one has an indicative adverbial clause; the second one is in the subjunctive.
Aunque nieva, voy a llegar en coche.
Even though it is snowing, I’ll come by car.
Aunque nieve, voy a llegar en coche.
Even if it may snow, I’ll come by car.
ESSENTIAL
Some
que
clauses are actually adjective clauses—clauses that modify a noun. For example, in the following example, the
que
clause modifies the noun
libro: Busco un libro que
explique la gramática del castellano.
(I’m looking for a book that explains Spanish grammar.)
Past Subjunctive
The subjunctive mood may also be expressed in the past with the help of
el imperfecto de subjuntivo
(the imperfect or past subjunctive). Whereas the present subjunctive is used with present-tense indicative verbs in the main clause, the past subjunctive appears in
que
clauses introduced by a verb in the imperfect, preterite, past perfect, or conditional tense. First, let’s look at how verbs in the past subjunctive are conjugated.
Two Groups of Conjugations
The past subjunctive is the only tense/mood where you’ve got two sets of endings to choose from. Both sets are equally correct; choosing one over the other will not change the meaning, although some say that the –ra endings tend to be more common in colloquial speech.
The good news, however, is that even though there are two sets of endings to choose from, each set may be used with –AR, –ER, and –IR verbs:
| –ra | –ramos |
| –ras | –rais |
| –ra | –ran |
| –se | –semos |
| –ses | –seis |
| –se | –sen |
To form the conjugation, take the third-person plural (
ellos)
form of the preterite, drop the –ron ending, and add the correct past-subjunctive ending. Let’s take
hablar
as an example: The preterite
ellos
form is
hablaron.
Take away –ron, and the remaining stem that you can use to form your past-subjunctive conjugations is
habla.
Now, you can add the right ending, choosing either from the –ra or the –se group.
Here are the two groups of conjugations for regular verbs
hablar
(to speak),
vender
(to sell), and
vivir
(to live):
| hablara, hablase | habláramos, hablásemos |
| hablaras, hablases | hablarais, hablaseis |
| hablara, hablase | hablaran, hablasen |
| vendiera, vendiese | vendiéramos, vendiésemos |
| vendieras, vendieses | vendierais, vendieseis |
| vendiera, vendiese | vendieran, vendiesen |
| viviera, viviese | viviéramos, viviésemos |
| vivieras, vivieses | vivierais, vivieseis |
| viviera, viviese | vivieran, viviesen |
Don’t forget that if a verb has an irregular preterite
ellos
conjugation, the same irregularity will be retained in the past-subjunctive forms, whether you use –ra or –se endings. For example, the preterite
ellos
form of
querer
(to want) is
quisieron,
so in the past subjunctive the stem of each form should be
quisie–.
Here are the correct conjugations for
querer:
| quisiera, quisiese | quisiéramos, quisiésemos |
| quisieras, quisieses | quisierais, quisieseis |
| quisiera, quisiese | quisieran, quisiesen |
Using the Past Subjunctive Properly
As its name suggests, the past subjunctive is the past-tense version of the present subjunctive, and the past subjunctive is used in a similar manner—in
que
clauses following a statement of uncertainty, an emotional call, or an expression of need or preference. The only difference is that the main verb that introduces the
que
clause is in the imperfect, preterite, past perfect, or conditional.
Imperfect Tense
As you may remember, the imperfect is used to talk about things that used to happen in the past or that happened over a period of time. Here’s how the imperfect may be used with a past-subjunctive clause:
Aquellos días, yo dudaba que mi suerte cambiara.
In those days, I doubted that my luck would change.
Era posible que el maestro no me otorgara el premio.
It was possible that the teacher wouldn’t award me with the prize.
Preterite Tense
The preterite is used to describe events at a specific time in the past. Here’s an example of how it might work with a past-subjunctive clause:
Cuando vi a mis abuelos, esperé que me trajeran regalos.
When I saw my grandparents, I hoped that they had brought me presents.
En aquel momento me enteré del engaño e insistí que ellos me
pidieran perdón.
At that moment, I found out about the deception and insisted that they ask for my forgiveness.
