What is the subjunctive in Spanish? And how is it used in Spanish?
Are you ready to read a SUPER important article?
Today's topic is subjunctive in spanish.
For the first time, we delve into speaking in this highly relevant verbal way.
Today you will know its way in present and how to use the subjunctive in spanish, focusing on the use of Prob.
Interesting, right?
Well let's get started!
Present subjunctive: its form
¿What does subjunctive mean in Spanish??
El Spanish subjunctive is a verbal mode.
Do you know how many verbal modes there are?
only 3:
- Indicative: we use it to express reality, present, past and future actions.
- Imperative: we use it to express orders, advice, instructions and directions.
- Subjunctive: used to talk about our feelings, desires, visions, probabilities...
???? Attention: You should not confuse a Verb mood with a tense. They are different things.
There are four tenses of the subjunctive vocabulary:
- Present subjunctive.
I will explain how in this post. Don't stop reading!
- Imperfect subjunctive tense.
Do the forms of were o were? It is the verb to be or to go from imperfect subjunctive.
- Perfect subjunctive.
It conjugates with verb to have in present < > + participle.
- Past tense Pluscuamperfect subjunctive.
Have you ever heard the verbs would have or would have? It is the verb to have in the pluperfect subjunctive.
As you can see, there are three times in the past subjunctive
However, in this article we are only going to see the form of the present.
¿How is the present subjunctive in spanish?
I tell you.
present subjunctive regular
The truth is that the forms of the subjunctive in Spanish in the regular present are the same as those of the present indicative.
There is only one small difference: the theme vowel which is repeated to mark the conjugation to which they belong (-ar, -er, -ir).
At present indicative the stem vowel for verbs ending in –ar is the -A (sing-AR- we sing); for verbs ending in -er, the vowel is -E (com-ER- we eat) and for those that end in -go, will be the -I (viv-IR- we live).
Logical, right?
For present subjunctive we make a < > as if we were dancing.
In verbs that end in -AR, we put an E. (AR–E)
In verbs that end in -ER, we put an A. (IT WAS)
In verbs that end in -IR, we put an A. (GONNA)
Seems a bit confusing?
Not at all, let's see it with examples of subjunctive verbs and you will see how easy it is. 😊
- Example with verb in subjunctive mood finished in -AR: speak.
| Person/Subject | present indicative | Present subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
|
Yo |
TALKED |
HABLE |
|
You |
SPEAK |
HABLES |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
SPEAKS |
HABLE |
|
Nosotros/Nosotras |
WE SPEAK |
HABLEMOS |
|
Vosotros/Vosotras |
YOU SPEAK |
HABLEIS |
|
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
SPEAK |
HABLEN |
You see it?
Since the infinitive ends in -AR, the subjunctive verb It is conjugated as in the indicative, but putting the vowel 'E' in all persons.
Let's see more examples with other infinitives.
- Example with verb ending in -ER: reply.
| Person/Subject | present indicative | Present subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
|
Yo |
I ANSWER |
RESPONDA |
|
You |
YOU ANSWER |
RESPONDAS |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
ANSWER BACK |
RESPONDA |
|
Nosotros/Nosotras |
WE ANSWER |
RESPONDAMOS |
|
Vosotros/Vosotras |
YOU ANSWER |
RESPONDAIS |
|
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
RESPOND |
RESPONDAN |
This time it is the other way around. Since the infinitive ends in -ER, we conjugate it in the subjunctive with the vowel 'A'.
- Example with verb in subjunctive mood finished in -GO: receive.
| Person/Subject | present indicative | Present subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
|
Yo |
RECEIPT |
RECEIVEDA |
|
You |
YOU RECEIVE |
RECEIVEDAS |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
RECEIVES |
RECEIVEDA |
|
Nosotros/Nosotras |
WE RECEIVED |
RECEIVEDAMOS |
|
Vosotros/Vosotras |
YOU RECEIVE |
RECEIVEDAIS |
|
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
RECEIVE |
RECEIVEDAN |
In verbs that end in -IR, we make the same vowel change as with -ER: we put an 'A'.
Isn't it quite easy? 😁
Irregular present subjunctive
The irregular verbs of present subjunctive they also resemble the irregulars of the present indicative.
We have more or less the same types, although there are also some new ones.
1. Irregular vowel change.
Do you remember the irregular verbs in the vowel changes?
I remind you with some examples:
- E–IE: think, understand, want, lie, turn on, feel, etc.
- OR – EU: move, sleep, power, die, etc.
- E - I: order, measure, serve, etc.
- U–EU: play.
At subjunctive mood in spanish, in addition to making the vowel change of the irregular form, we will have to add the vowel change of the subjunctive itself.
Two vowel changes within the same verb. ????
Let's see some of these verbs subjunctive with examples:
| Person/Subject | THINK | MOVER | ASK |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Yo |
milkE |
moveA |
PidA |
|
You |
milkES |
moveAS |
PidAS |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
milkE |
moveA |
PidA |
|
Nosotros/Nosotras |
pensEMOS |
mauveAMOS |
PidAMOS |
|
Vosotros/Vosotras |
pensEIS |
mauveAIS |
PidAIS |
|
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
milkEN |
moveAN |
PidAN |
Remember that usually in the form of us and you No. you'll find irregular vowel change, but, be careful! In the subjunctive we have some exceptions.
Look at the verb ask. Do you see that here there is a vowel change from E – I in nosotros y vosotros?
This happens only in the verbs of vowel shift from E–I and in the verbs sleep and die
2. Irregular in the first person singular.
In the subjunctive, the irregular in the form of < > They are like those of indicative, but with a difference.
I explain. It is true that we take the same form.
For example, the verb to say
In the indicative, the only irregular form is in the first person singular, the form of < >: I say.
in the subjunctive, we use this same form but with all people.
I show you in one table of indicative and subjunctive verbs in Spanish so you can see it well.
| Person/Subject | present indicative | Present subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
|
Yo |
DIGO |
DIGA |
|
You |
YOU SAY |
DIGAS |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
DICE |
DIGA |
|
Nosotros/Nosotras |
We say |
DIfallow deer |
|
Vosotros/Vosotras |
YOU SAY |
DIGAIS |
|
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
SAY |
DIGAN |
You see it?
In present indicative only the form of < changes >, while in the present subjunctive we use the same irregularity for all persons.
Do you know other irregular verbs of this type?
There is a lot: to know, to put, to have, to go out, to do…
El subjunctive mood of these verbs would be formed from the following endings: GA and ZCA.
KNOW – CONEZCA
PUT – PUTGA
HAVE – HAVEGA
EXIT – EXITGA
DO – HAGA
3. Consonantal irregulars:
This is something new that does not exist in the indicative mood.
When creating the subjunctive form, some verbs suffer consonant changes.
This commonly happens in verbs that have a 'c'a 'z' or 'g' before the ending of the infinitive.
I give you three examples: park, brush and play.
Although these changes occur with other consonants as well.
The consonant changes are as follows:
C–QU / QU–C
Z–C / C–Z
G–GU / GU–G
G - J
As always, let's see it in some subjunctive verbs in spanish and examples and you will understand it quickly.
| Person/Subject | PARK | TOUCH | TO PLAY |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Yo |
appearTHAT |
roCE |
ThuGUE |
|
You |
appearWHATS |
roCES |
ThuGUES |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
appearTHAT |
roCE |
ThuGUE |
|
Nosotros/Nosotras |
appearWE WANT |
roCEMOS |
juLET'S GO |
|
Vosotros/Vosotras |
appearWHAT IS |
roCEIS |
juGUIDE |
|
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
appearQUEN |
roCEN |
ThuGUEN |
This consonant change is due to the vowel change of the subjunctive.
The pronunciation of appears It would not be the same as the infinitive to park.
The same would happen with rubbing and playing.
It's more important to keep the same sound of the infinitive than the consonants.
4. Total irregulars
As in present indicative, we also have total irregular in present subjunctive. The most notable are "ser", 'estar' e ir.
| Person/Subject | SER | IR | ESTAR |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Yo |
sea |
go |
beene |
|
You |
seas |
go |
're |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
sea |
go |
beene |
|
Nosotros/Nosotras |
let's be |
let's go |
let's be |
|
Vosotros/Vosotras |
be |
go away |
you are |
|
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
are |
go |
estén |
We say that the verb to be is irregular because of the accents. Regular verbs do not have these accents.
If you want to master the subjunctive, you will have to learn these verbs because they are very important.
They're not very difficult, are they?
Uses of the subjunctive
Now you know how conjugate the subjunctive mood in present in Spanish, with their regular and irregular verbs.
Bravo! 👏
Maybe you are wondering: <<¿When is the subjunctive used in Spanish?? >>
The truth is that there are many uses of the subjunctive.
In our school Hispania, escuela de español: we give the uses of the subjunctive in Spanish for foreigners well classified and structured, so that students can studyianyou can understand them well.
There is many uses: feeling verbs, head verbs, influence verbs, temporal sentences, etc.
We are going to focus on one of the most important. The Prob.
express probability
There are many ways to express probability in spanish
We use probability when we are not sure about something and we do not want to show absolute certainty.
Probability with subjunctive
if we want to express probability with subjunctive, you need to use keywords that indicate it.
These words are as follows.
- It is likely that
- It is possible that
- It may be that
- May
These four probability connectors go always with subjunctive
If you notice, they all carry the word < >.
In many situations, the word < > gives rise to the subjunctive because it introduces another verb después with a different subject to that of the previous verb.
Be careful, but do not think that after < > always we will find subjunctive mood, because this rule is not real.
For example, I exceeding the subjunctive es marvelous.
¿How to learn the subjunctive in Spanish to express probability?
This is a good strategy that you can use to remember it: the connectors of probability that carry that, always go with the subjunctive. 😉
For example:
- It is likely that take a coffee tomorrow afternoon.
- I can't find my keys. It is possible that estén inside the suitcase.
- I haven't seen Marta for a long time. whatIt may be that beene ill?
have you seen in these subjunctive phrases that in the first example we are speaking in the future?
El present subjunctive is used to talk about the present and the future.
That is why it is so important.
It's a two for one. 👌😉
There is the future subjunctive in Spanish, but now not used: I will sing, I will eat, would have or would haveI will write…
probability with indicative
We can also do expressions de probability with indicative. In this case, there are other connectors:
- Maybe
- The same
- Same
For example:
Maybe Rains this afternoon.
Paco hasn't come yet. The same has fallen asleep.
There is nobody in the street. Equal you'll find an important soccer game.
Be careful, because sometimes these subjunctive marks, in other contexts have other meanings. For example the word < > sometimes works as an adjective: my shirt is same that yours.
In order to distinguish them, you should help yourself from the context that surrounds the conversation.
You will see that it is easier than you think.
Probability with subjunctive and indicative
Finally, there are probability connectors very versatile that can go with subjunctive and also with indicative:
- Perhaps
- Perhaps
- Probably
- Possibly
For example:
Perhaps I was late a bit, my bus has been late. ✅
Perhaps I'm late a bit, my bus has been late. ✅
Javier looks angry. Perhaps takes a bad day. ✅
Javier looks angry. Perhaps consists of a bad day. ✅
Both with the subjunctive and the indicative, the examples are correct.
Is there a difference if we use the indicative or the subjunctive in these sentences?
Yes, there is a slight nuance.
If we use the indicative we will be expressing more security that with the subjunctive.
the same thing happened with maybe, same y the same.
Whenever we talk about probability with indicative, the probability that the action will happen is high.
Activities to practice the subjunctive
You have already learned to conjugate the present subjunctive vocabulary and express probability with the.
It's great! 😊
Now is the time to put it into practice with of activities subjunctive in Spanish and make sure you understand it correctly.
shape activity
In this activity, you have to complete the sentences with subjunctive verb forms correct in present.
Answers
- beene
- have you
- should/should
- know
- rain/rain
- walk
- vivan
Matching Sentences Activity
In this activity, you must match the pairs of sentences.
Notice the probability connectors and when there are Spanish verbs in indicative and subjunctive.
Answers
- José has gone to live in town, it is possible that he will find the peace of mind he is looking for there.
- Today I feel very energetic, I will surely go to train later to take advantage of it.
- You have a lot of security, maybe they give you the job for that.
- Many cats have been born in that wasteland, maybe I'll adopt one.
- I have two news to give you: one good and one bad, it is still better to tell you the bad first.
- At the school entrance there are many people eating and talking, it is likely that they are celebrating something important.
- I don't know Luis, but from what you tell me about him... he's probably a good guy.
With these subjunctive exercises in spanishWe end today's article.
Keep in mind that the use of the subjunctive is not limited only to the Prob.
There is many more uses.
Also, remember that there are also others tenses of the subjunctive in Spanish.
Do you want to learn all these things about the subjunctive mood?
We are waiting for you with open arms in Hispania, escuela de español.
We provide face-to-face Spanish courses y online Spanish courses so you can learn EVERYTHING about the subjunctive, in the classroom with classmates or at home.
You decide how you want to study.
Learn Spanish with us and be happy.
Enjoy this beautiful day! 😉
Article written by Carlos Martínez for Hispania, escuela de español
More articles
