The subjunctive for wishes and requests: quiero que, ojalá

The commonest trigger for the subjunctive is wanting or asking someone else to do something. The pattern is:

verb of wishing or influence + que + new subject + subjunctive (The present subjunctive: forms)

Wanting, hoping, preferring, needing

querer, desear, esperar (to hope), preferir, necesitar:

• Quiero que vengas a mi cumpleaños.I want you to come to my birthday.
• Preferimos que el hotel esté en el centro.We'd prefer the hotel to be in the centre.
• Espero que os guste la comida.I hope you like the food.

Esperar means both to hope and to wait. Espero que venga = I hope he comes. Espero a que venga = I'm waiting for him to come. Both take the subjunctive.

Asking, advising, ordering, allowing, forbidding

pedir, rogar, recomendar, aconsejar, sugerir, mandar, exigir, permitir, prohibir:

• Mi médico me recomienda que camine todos los días.My doctor recommends that I walk every day.
• Os pido que lleguéis puntuales.I'm asking you all to arrive on time.

With permitir, prohibir, aconsejar and recomendar you can also use an object pronoun + infinitive: Te prohíbo salir = Te prohíbo que salgas (I forbid you to go out).

Decir: information or instruction?

Decir que takes the indicative when it passes on information and the subjunctive when it passes on an instruction:

• Mi madre dice que tu abuela está mejor.My mum says your grandma is better.
• Mi madre dice que llames a tu abuela.My mum says you should call your grandma.

The same is true of escribir que (write that / write telling someone to).

Same subject: infinitive

If the person who wants is the person who does, there is no que and no subjunctive:

• No quiero llegar tarde.I don't want to be late.

Ojalá

Ojalá (from Arabic, roughly "may God will it") means I hope or let's hope. It is always followed by the subjunctive. Ojalá que is also correct.

• Ojalá aprobemos el examen.I hope we pass the exam.

¡Que…! wishes

A sentence starting with que + subjunctive expresses a wish to someone. These are everyday set phrases:

• ¡Que tengas un buen viaje!Have a good trip!
• ¡Que te mejores!Get well soon!

Others: ¡Que lo pases bien! (Have a good time!), ¡Que aproveche! (Enjoy your meal!), ¡Que descanses! (Rest well!), ¡Que cumplas muchos más! (Many happy returns!). For a group in Spain: ¡Que lo paséis bien!

Latin America

Identical, with ustedes: Les pido que lleguen puntuales. ¡Que lo pasen bien! Ojalá is used everywhere.

Common mistakes

• Quiero que vienes: wishes about another person take the subjunctive: Quiero que vengas.
• Quiero tú venir (a copy of I want you to come): Spanish needs que + subjunctive: Quiero que vengas.
• Quiero que yo termine: same subject, so Quiero terminar.
• Ojalá ganamos: ojalá always takes the subjunctive: Ojalá ganemos.
• Using the subjunctive after decir for plain information: Dice que está cansado (he says he's tired), not esté.