Spanish grammar by topic › The Spanish subjunctive, explained

The Spanish subjunctive, explained

The subjunctive is a verb form for what is wanted, felt, doubted or not yet real. It usually comes after que, when the first part of the sentence expresses a wish, a feeling, a judgement or a doubt about someone else's action.

Forming the present subjunctive is regular: start from the yo form of the present and switch to the “opposite” vowel. A handful of triggers then covers most of what you'll meet.

The essentials

Formation: take the yo form, drop the -o, and use -e endings for -ar verbs and -a endings for -er and -ir verbs (hablo → hable, tengo → tenga).
Wishes and requests: quiero que vengas, ojalá llueva. With one subject, use the infinitive: quiero venir.
Feelings and judgements: me alegra que estés aquí, es importante que lo sepas.
Doubt and denial take the subjunctive, belief the indicative: no creo que sea verdad / creo que es verdad.
Cuando + subjunctive for the future: cuando llegues, llámame.
After a past or conditional trigger, use the imperfect subjunctive: quería que vinieras; si tuviera tiempo, iría.

Every lesson on this topic

Each lesson has a full explanation, examples you can listen to, and exercises with answers.

B1 (the B1 course)

The present subjunctive: forms: What a mood is, what the subjunctive is for, and how to form it from the yo form with the 'opposite' vowel.
Irregular present subjunctives: Stem changes, spelling changes, and the six true irregulars: dar, estar, ir, haber, saber, ser.
The subjunctive for wishes and requests: quiero que, ojalá: Want, ask, advise, forbid someone else to do something; ojalá and ¡Que…! wishes.
The subjunctive after feelings: me alegra que, siento que: React to what others do: me alegro de que, siento que, me molesta que, tengo miedo de que, qué pena que.
Doubt and denial: no creo que vs creo que: Belief takes the indicative; doubt and denial take the subjunctive. Quizás, tal vez and a lo mejor.
es importante que, es verdad que: Judgements, necessity and possibility take the subjunctive; certainty takes the indicative.
Cuando + subjunctive for the future: When something hasn't happened yet: cuando llegue, en cuanto sepas, hasta que vuelvas, antes de que.

B2 (the B2 course)

The imperfect subjunctive: -ra and -se forms: Form the past subjunctive two ways (hablara / hablase) and use it after past triggers, ojalá and in polite requests.
Which subjunctive? Sequence of tenses: Match the subjunctive to the main verb: present triggers take the present subjunctive, past and conditional triggers take the imperfect.
The perfect subjunctive: haya hecho: Use haya + participle for completed actions after present triggers, ojalá, and time clauses about the future.
Past hypotheses: si hubiera sabido, habría venido: Imagine a different past with hubiera / hubiese + participle, express regret with ojalá, and mix past and present hypotheses.
Subjunctive in relative clauses: busco a alguien que sepa: Indicative for people and things you know exist; subjunctive for ones you are looking for, imagine or deny.
para que, antes de que, sin que, a menos que, con tal de que: Five connectors that always take the subjunctive, and when to use the infinitive instead.
aunque + indicative or subjunctive: Although (a fact you assert) vs even if (a possibility or a point you concede): what the mood after aunque tells the listener.
como si + imperfect subjunctive: As if: como si always takes the imperfect or pluperfect subjunctive, whatever the main verb, plus como si nada and ni que.

C1 (the C1 course)

Fine mood contrasts: el hecho de que, que yo sepa, digan lo que digan: Where the choice between indicative and subjunctive changes the message, and the fixed formulas that always take the subjunctive.
The future subjunctive in legal texts and set phrases (sea lo que fuere): Recognise the -re forms in laws, contracts and fixed phrases, and know their modern equivalents.

In the app, these lessons are taught one idea at a time with audio, practised with questions that explain the rule when you slip, and brought back for review on later days.

Learn it in the app, free Find your level