Spanish subjunctive

If you are studying Spanish, one of the most difficult topics to master may be verb conjugations. The Spanish language has many possible conjugations, three different modes, depending on the ending of the verb, the person or the tense.

One of these modes is the Spanish subjunctive, which is one of the verb tenses used in the language to conjugate verbs. The other two modes are the indicative and the imperative. The subjunctive may be one of the most complex. Have you ever wondered how or when to use the subjunctive in Spanish?

You're in the right place! In this donQuijote article, you will learn everything you need to master the Spanish subjunctive mode and speak like a native. Do you want to learn Spanish in Spain? In our schools, you will find everything you need to do so, and our teachers will help you use the Spanish subjunctive in a natural way.

You can also read this article in Spanish, French or Italian.

What is the Spanish subjunctive?

The Spanish subjunctive mode is used to express desires, doubts, emotions, hypotheses, possibilities or unconfirmed situations. It is divided into several tenses: present subjunctive in Spanish, past subjunctive in Spanish, imperfect subjunctive, future subjunctive in Spanish: simple and perfect.

In addition, the subjunctive includes some of the verb tenses that are not often used in everyday but are used in literature in Spanish. Therefore, it is necessary that you know them in case you come across this mode in one of your novels to learn Spanish. And, unlike the indicative mode, which is used to talk about real and concrete facts, the subjunctive mode expresses subjective or hypothetical situations.

Spanish subjunctive verb tenses

The subjunctive in Spanish is divided into several verb tenses, each with its own use.

The present subjunctive Spanish is used for present or future actions with uncertainty or subjectivity. Below you will find examples with the three verb endings (-ar, -er, -ir) conjugated in the present subjunctive Spanish:

• Hablar (Talk): Yo hable, Tú hables, Él/Ella hable, Nosotros hablemos, Vosotros habléis, Ellos hablen.
• Comer (Eat): Yo coma, Tú comas, Él/Ella coma, Nosotros comamos, Vosotros comáis, Ellos coman.
• Vivir (Live): Yo viva, Tú vivas, Él/Ella viva, Nosotros vivamos, Vosotros viváis, Ellos vivan.

The imperfect subjunctive is used for hypothetical situations in the past or in conditional sentences.

• Hablar: Yo hablara/hablase, Tú hablaras/hablases, Él/Ella hablara/hablase, Nosotros habláramos/hablásemos, Vosotros hablarais/hablaseis, Ellos hablaran/hablasen.
• Comer: Yo comiera/comiese, Tú comieras/comieses, Él/Ella comiera/comiese, Nosotros comiéramos/comiésemos, Vosotros comierais/comieseis, Ellos comieran/comiesen.
• Vivir: Yo viviera/viviese, Tú vivieras/vivieses, Él/Ella viviera/viviese, Nosotros viviéramos/viviésemos, Vosotros vivierais/vivieseis, Ellos vivieran/viviesen.

The past subjunctive in Spanish is used to express past actions that are relevant in the present.

• Hablar: Yo haya hablado, Tú hayas hablado, Él/Ella haya hablado, Nosotros hayamos hablado, Vosotros hayáis hablado, Ellos hayan hablado.
• Comer: Yo haya comido, Tú hayas comido, Él/Ella haya comido, Nosotros hayamos comido, Vosotros hayáis comido, Ellos hayan comido.
• Vivir: Yo haya vivido, Tú hayas vivido, Él/Ella haya vivido, Nosotros hayamos vivido, Vosotros hayáis vivido, Ellos hayan vivido.

The past perfect subjunctive is used to talk about past actions that happened before another past action, or in unreal conditional sentences.

• Hablar: Yo hubiera/hubiese hablado, Tú hubieras/hubieses hablado, Él/Ella hubiera/hubiese hablado, Nosotros hubiéramos/hubiésemos hablado, Vosotros hubierais/hubieseis hablado, Ellos hubieran/hubiesen hablado.
• Comer: Yo hubiera/hubiese comido, Tú hubieras/hubieses comido, Él/Ella hubiera/hubiese comido, Nosotros hubiéramos/hubiésemos comido, Vosotros hubierais/hubieseis comido, Ellos hubieran/hubiesen comido.
• Vivir: Yo hubiera/hubiese vivido, Tú hubieras/hubieses vivido, Él/Ella hubiera/hubiese vivido, Nosotros hubiéramos/hubiésemos vivido, Vosotros hubierais/hubieseis vivido, Ellos hubieran/hubiesen vivido.

When to use the subjunctive in Spanish?

The subjunctive is used in different contexts, for example, to express desires, recommendations or suggestions:

• Ojalá llueva mañana (I hope it rains tomorrow)
• Quiero que estudies más (I want you to study harder)

Also to express doubt or uncertainty, but also to express emotions:

• No creo que ella tenga razón (I don't think she's right)
• Dudo que él llegue a tiempo (I doubt he'll be on time)
• Me alegra que estés aquí (I'm glad you're here)
• Me molesta que hablen tan alto (It bothers me that they talk so loudly)

In addition, the subjunctive is used to form hypothetical conditional sentences, for example:

• Si tuviera más tiempo, viajaría por el mundo (If I had more time, I would travel the world)
• Si supieras la verdad, cambiarías de opinion (If you knew the truth, you would change your mind)

To express finality or purpose:

• Estudia para que apruebes el examen (Study so that you pass the exam)
• Te lo explico para que lo entiendas mejor (I'll explain it so that you understand it better)

Examples of the use of the Spanish subjunctive

Below you will find sentences with the subjunctive in Spanish so you can see how the tenses that make up this mood are used, as well as some sentences of desire, doubt or possibility.

• Espero que tú hables con él pronto (I hope you talk to him soon)
• Si tuviera tiempo, viajaría por el mundo (If I had time, I would travel the world)
• Me alegra que hayas terminado tu trabajo (I'm glad you finished your work)
• Si hubieras estudiado más, habrías aprobado el examen (If you had studied harder, you would have passed the exam)
• Ojalá mañana no llueva para poder ir al parque (I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow so I can go to the park)
• Espero que llegues a tiempo a la reunión (I hope you arrive on time for the meeting)
• No estoy segura de sí nos aceptarán en el proyecto de mañana (I'm not sure if they'll accept us on tomorrow's project)
• Si fuera más organizado, terminaría mis tareas a tiempo (If I were more organized, I would finish my homework on time)
• No creo que él diga la verdad sobre lo que pasó (I don't believe he is telling the truth about what happened)

Therefore, the subjunctive in Spanish is a fundamental part of the language, as it allows us to express uncertainty, desire and subjectivity in multiple contexts. Using it correctly enriches communication and adds important nuances to the meaning of sentences. That is why mastering it is essential if you want to become a fluent Spanish speaker.