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- Formas y uso del subjuntivo
- 1. El subjuntivo en cláusulas nominales
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- A big problem for English speakers is the subjunctive, partially because
of the lack of a similar concept or structure in English.
- To understand what the subjunctive is, you have to understand
several things:
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- An independent clause has only one conjugated verb or predicate and one
subject: Juan (subject) canta. (conjugated verb). There can be
other elements in the sentence that modify the subject or the predicate
but only one subject and one predicate: Mi primo Juan canta con su
hermana Sofía una vez al mes.
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- A dependent or subordinate clause, as the name suggests, depends on
another, the main clause, that means it has to be use always together
with a main clause. The subordinate clause is introduced and tied to the
main clause with the conjunction "que". The subordinate clause
modifies somehow the predicate of the main clause, adding meaning to it:
Juan (subject of the main clause) quiere (predicate of the main clause) que
(conjunction) su hermana (subject of the subordinate clause) cante
(predicate of the subordinate clause) con él.
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- The aunt wants Nena to get married to Javier.
- La tia quiere Nena casar a Javier.
- No !!!
- La tía quiere que Nena se case con Javier.
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- As a rule of thumb: Use the subjunctive only in dependent or subordinate
clauses.
- (There are some exceptions in pseudo-independent clauses introduced by ojalá,
quizá(s) and tal vez, exclamations, as well in some commands. But for
now you should assume that the subjunctive is used in subordinate
clauses.)
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- nominal clauses, clauses that modify the verb the same way a direct
nominal object would: Quiero a mi hermano. (I like my
brother.) (Who do I like? = my brother = direct object) Quiero que
Sofía cante. (I want Sofia to sing or that Sofia sings.) (What do I
want? = that she sings = direct object)
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- adverbial clauses, clauses that modify the verb the way a simple adverb
would: Voy a salir pronto. (I am going to leave soon. When I am going to
leave = soon = adverb) Voy a salir cuando pueda (I am going to leave as
soon as I can. When am I going to leave? = as soon as I can = adverbial
clause.)
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- adjectival clauses, clauses that modify the direct object of the main
clause, the way a simple adjective would: Quiero cantar la canción
famosa (famosa = adjective that modifies canción; what kind of song = a
famous song) Quiero cantar la canción que escuché ayer. (I want to sing
the song that I heard yesterday. What kind of song? = that I heard
yesterday = adjectival clause modifying "song") Quiero
cantar una canción que haga llorar a mi novia. (I want to sing a
song that makes my girl friend cry. What kind of song? = that makes my
girl friend cry = adjectival clause modifying "song")
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- it is not always necessary to use the subjunctive in subordinate clauses
but only under the certain conditions
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- Juan está enfermo.
- Sé que Juan está enfermo.
- María dijo que Juan estaba enfermo.
- Verbs in the indicative mood express events or states that are
considered factual, definite, objective or part of the speaker’s
experienced reality.
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- Dudo que Juan esté enfermo.
- Quiero que el profesor esté enfermo.
- No es cierto que Juan esté enfermo.
- Me alegro que el profesor esté enfermo.
- With the subjunctive the speaker expresses that he/ she considers events
or states to be fictional, subjective, or not part of the speakers
experienced reality.
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- What determines whether or not you need to use the subjunctive in a
nominal clause is the meaning of the verb or verbal expression in the
main clause. You have to use the subjunctive after expressions of
expectation, skepticism, doubt, uncertainty, demands, wants, needs,
insistence, advice, will, negated facts, … “WEDDING” or “WEIRDO”
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- Juan quiere que su hermana cante con él. (Juan wants his sister to sing
with him.)
- Other similar expressions are:
- aconsejar que (to advise) : Juan aconseja que cante su hermana.
- *decir que (to tell): Juan dice que cante su hermana.
- dejar que (to allow, to let): Juan deja que cante su hermana.
- desear que (to whish, to want): Juan desea que cante su hermana.
- exigir que (to demand) : Juan exige que cante su hermana.
- hacer que (to make): Juan hace que cante su hermana. (Juan makes his
sister sing.)
- impedir que (to prevent): Juan impide que cante su hermana. (Juan
prevents his sister from singing.)
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- *insistir en que (to insist on): Juan insiste en que cante su hermana.
(Juan insists on his sister singing.)
- mandar que (to order, to command): Juan manda que cante su hermana.
- pedir que (to ask for): Juan pide que cante su hermana.
- preferir que (to prefer): Juan prefiere que cante su hermana.
- prohibir que (to forbid, to keep from): Juan prohibe que cante su
hermana.
- recomendar que (to recommend): Juan recomienda que cante su hermana.
- rogar que (to beg): Juan ruega que cante su hermana.
- sugerir que (to suggest): Juan sugiere que cante su hermana.
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- Some verbs, for example decir and insistir have more than one use. They
can be used to express a command, a will or wish, but also to simply
convey information. In the first case they are followed by a subjunctive
and in the second case there is no subjunctive:
- Juan le dice a su hermana que cante. (Juan tell his sister to sing.) = wish
or will = Subjunctive
- Juan dice que su hermana canta bien. (Juan says that his sister sings
well.) = mentioning something = No Subjunctive.
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- As you can see in the example Juan quiere que su hermana cante con él.
(Juan wants his sister to sing with him), there must be two people
involved in this situation, Juan and his sister, one in the main clause
and one in the subordinate clause. Therefore, if there isn't a second
person involved, there is no subjunctive but an infinive and there is no
"que".
- Juan quiere que su hermana cante con él. (2 subjects = subjunctive
and "que") but: Juan quiere cantar solo. (one subject,
Juan = no subjunctive but an infinitive and no "que")
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- Some verbs allow to signal that there is a second person involved by
using a pronoun (le, les, lo, la, los, las) with the main verb. In these
cases you have two choices: You can either use the subjunctive and a
subordinate clause intoduced by "que" or you just use an
infinitive and no "que":
- Juan (le) aconseja que cante su hermana. or Juan (le) aconseja a su
hermana que cante. (The brackets around the pronouns mean that the use
of the pronouns is optional.) but: Juan le aconseja cantar a su hermana.
(The use of the pronoun is optional.)
- (Te) aconsejo que tomes el tren. (I recommend you to take the train.)
but: Te aconsejo tomar el tren.
- Other verbs in this category are dejar, exigir, impedir, mandar, permitir,
prohibir, rogar and sugerir.
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- Me alegro que el profesor esté enfermo. (I am glad that the teacher is
sick.)
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- encantarle algo a alguien (to be delighted that): Me encanta que el
profesor esté enfermo.
- enojarle algo a alguien (to make angry that): Me enoja que el
profesor esté enfermo.
- esperar que (to hope that): Espero que el profesor esté enfermo.
- extrañarle algo a alguien que (to be surprised that): Me extraña que
el profesor esté enfermo.
- gustarle algo a alguien que (to be pleased that): Me gusta que el
profesor esté enfermo.
- lamentar que (to regret that): Lamento que el profesor esté enfermo.
- molestarle algo a alguien (to be bothered, annoyed that): Me molesta
que el profesor esté enfermo.
- sentir que (to be sorry, to regret that): Siento que el profesor esté
enfermo.
- sorprenderle algo a alguien que (to be surprised that): Me
sorprende que el profesor esté enfermo.
- temer que (to fear): Temo que el profesor esté enfermo.
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- Again, if there isn't a second person involved, there is no subjunctive
but an infinitive and there is no "que".
- Espero estar enfermo mañana [porque vamos a tener un examen]. (I hope to
be sick tomorrow [because we'll have an exam].
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- Dudo que el profesor esté enfermo. (I doubt that the teacher is sick.)
(I am not sure, but that's what I think because he has never been sick
so far, but I might be wrong.)
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- no pensar que (not to think that): No pienso que el profesor esté enfermo.
- no creer que (not to believe that): No creo que el profesor esté enfermo.
- negar que (to deny that): Niego que el profesor esté enfermo.
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- Only dudar que, no pensar que, no creer que and negar que are followed
by the subjunctive, no dudar, pensar, creer and no negar are used with
the indicative.
- No dudo que Juan está enfermo.
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- In questions you can either use the indicative or the subjunctive
depending on whether or not you want to imply or not that what you are
saying is part of your reality:
- ¿Crees que Juan está enfermo? (You think that he is sick.)
- ¿Crees que Juan esté enfermo? (You don’t think that he is sick.)
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- Expressions (with no specific subject) with "ser": These
impersonal expressions have some times personal verb equivalents
which have been discussed before:
- Es de desear que Plácido Domingo cante en Madrid. = Deseo que Plácido
Domingo cante en Madrid. (I wish that Plácido Domingo sings in Madrid.)
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- es bueno que (it is good that)
- es dudoso que (it is questionable that)
- es importante que (it is important that)
- es imposible que (it is impossible that)
- es improbable que (it is improbable that)
- es malo que (it is bad that)
- es mejor que (it is better that)
- es necesario que (it it necessary that)
- es peor que (it is worse that)
- es posible que (it is possible that) …
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- Most impersonal expressions are used with the subjunctive. The only
exceptions are expressions that express that something is certain.
- Ejemplo:
- Es cierto que Juan está enfermo.
- Es lógico que tenemos clase el viernes.
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- When you don't want to identify or mention a specific subject in the
subordinate clause, the impersonal expression is followed by an
infinitive:
- Es necesario hacer las tareas. (It is necessary to do the
homework.) Es necesario que los estudiantes hagan las tareas. (It is
necessary that the students do the homework.)
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- Presente de subjuntivo: pgs. 163-167:
- Presente perfecto de subjuntivo: pg. 181
- Imperfecto de subjuntivo: pg. 163
- Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo: pg. 189
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Notes
