The Subjunctive (Leaving Cert Spanish): Revision Notes
The subjunctive
The subjunctive (el subjuntivo) is a verb mood that expresses uncertainty, doubt, emotion, desire, and influence. Unlike the indicative mood which deals with facts and reality, or the imperative mood which gives commands, the subjunctive conveys subjective attitudes and hypothetical situations.
Think of it this way:
- If you're stating a fact like "John sits down" (Juan se sienta), you use the indicative.
- If you're giving a command like "Sit down, John!" (¡Siéntate, Juan!), you use the imperative.
- But if you're expressing uncertainty like "I want John to sit down" (Quiero que Juan se siente), you need the subjunctive because you're not certain it will happen.
The subjunctive has four main tenses, but at Leaving Cert level, you'll focus on the present subjunctive (presente de subjuntivo) and the imperfect subjunctive (imperfecto de subjuntivo).
Rules & formation - present subjunctive
Regular verbs
To form the present subjunctive, take the first person singular (yo) form of the present indicative, remove the final -o, and add the appropriate endings.
Notice that the endings are "opposite" to what you'd expect - -ar verbs take endings that look like -er/-ir verbs, and vice versa.
| Pronoun | Hablar (to speak) | Comer (to eat) | Vivir (to live) |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hable | coma | viva |
| tú | hables | comas | vivas |
| él/ella/usted | hable | coma | viva |
| nosotros/as | hablemos | comamos | vivamos |
| vosotros/as | habléis | comáis | viváis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hablen | coman | vivan |
Radical changing verbs
These verbs follow the same pattern as in the present indicative, with stem changes occurring in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Type 1: e→ie and o→ue verbs (like querer - to want)
| Pronoun | Querer |
|---|---|
| yo | quiera |
| tú | quieras |
| él/ella/usted | quiera |
| nosotros/as | queramos |
| vosotros/as | queráis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | quieran |
Type 2: e→ie and o→ue verbs ending in -ir (like sentir - to feel, dormir - to sleep)
These verbs have an additional change in the nosotros and vosotros forms: e→i and o→u.
| Pronoun | Sentir | Dormir |
|---|---|---|
| yo | sienta | duerma |
| tú | sientas | duermas |
| él/ella/usted | sienta | duerma |
| nosotros/as | sintamos | durmamos |
| vosotros/as | sintáis | durmáis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | sientan | duerman |
Type 3: e→i verbs (like pedir - to ask for/request)
The stem change occurs in all forms for these verbs.
| Pronoun | Pedir |
|---|---|
| yo | pida |
| tú | pidas |
| él/ella/usted | pida |
| nosotros/as | pidamos |
| vosotros/as | pidáis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pidan |
Type 4: Spelling change verbs (like sacar - to take out, llegar - to arrive, empezar - to begin)
These verbs change their final consonant to maintain pronunciation: c→qu, g→gu, z→c.
| Pronoun | Sacar | Llegar | Empezar |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | saque | llegue | empiece |
| tú | saques | llegues | empieces |
| él/ella/usted | saque | llegue | empiece |
| nosotros/as | saquemos | lleguemos | empecemos |
| vosotros/as | saquéis | lleguéis | empecéis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | saquen | lleguen | empiecen |
Irregular verbs
Several common verbs are completely irregular in the present subjunctive and must be memorised:
| Pronoun | Estar (to be) | Dar (to give) | Ir (to go) | Ser (to be) | Sabre (to know) | Haber (to have) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | esté | dé | vaya | sea | sepa | haya |
| tú | estés | des | vayas | seas | sepas | hayas |
| él/ella/usted | esté | dé | vaya | sea | sepa | haya |
| nosotros/as | estemos | demos | vayamos | seamos | sepamos | hayamos |
| vosotros/as | estéis | deis | vayáis | seáis | sepáis | hayáis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | estén | den | vayan | sean | sepan | hayan |
Uses of the present subjunctive
After verbs of emotion and influence
The subjunctive is used after verbs expressing hope, desire, preference, requests, suggestions, and emotions.
Key trigger verbs include:
- esperar (to hope)
- querer (to want)
- desear (to wish)
- preferir (to prefer)
- pedir (to ask)
- rogar (to beg)
- insistir en (to insist)
- sugerir (to suggest)
- exigir (to demand)
- suplicar (to plead)
- estar content/a de (to be happy about)
Also after the expression: ojalá (hopefully/I hope)
Examples:
- Espero que vayas a casa pronto = I hope she goes home soon
- Él quiere que ella toque el piano = He wants her to play the piano
- El profesor prefiere que yo hable despacio = The teacher prefers that I speak slowly
After verbs of doubt and disbelief
When expressing uncertainty, doubt, or disbelief, use the subjunctive with verbs like:
Common doubt expressions:
- no creer que (not believe that)
- no estar convencido/a de que (not be convinced that)
- no estar seguro/a de que (not be sure that)
- no imaginarse que (not imagine that)
- no parecer que (not seem that/not appear that)
- no pensar que (not think that)
- no suponer que (not suppose that)
- temer que (fear that)
- negar que (deny that)
- dudar que (doubt that)
After impersonal expressions
Use the subjunctive after impersonal expressions that convey opinion, necessity, or possibility:
Common impersonal expressions:
- conviene que (it's advisable that)
- es bueno que (it's good that)
- es fantástico que (it's fantastic that)
- es fundamental que (it's fundamental that)
- es importante que (it's important that)
- es imposible que (it's impossible that)
- es improbable que (it's improbable that)
- es increíble que (it's incredible that)
- es mejor que (it's better that)
- es obligatorio que (it's obligatory that)
- es justo que (it's fair that)
After certain time and purpose conjunctions
The subjunctive is used with time conjunctions when referring to future actions and with purpose conjunctions.
Time conjunctions (for future actions):
- cuando (when)
- hasta que (until)
- en cuanto (as soon as)
- tan pronto como (as soon as)
- mientras (while)
- antes de que (before)
- después de que (after)
Purpose conjunctions:
- para que (so that)
- a fin de que (so that)
- en caso de que (in case)
- a menos que (unless)
- con tal (de) que (provided that)
- a condición de que (on condition that)
- suponiendo que (supposing that)
Examples:
- Comeremos cuando Roberto llegue = We will eat when Robert arrives
- Te daré el dinero para que lo puedas comprar = I'll give you the money so that you can buy it
Rules & formation - imperfect subjunctive
The imperfect subjunctive (imperfecto de subjuntivo) is used in the same situations as the present subjunctive, but when the main verb is in the past.
Formation rule: Take the third person plural (ellos/ellas) form of the preterite tense, remove the -ron ending, and add the appropriate endings.
Main formation method:
| Pronoun | Hablar (to speak) |
|---|---|
| yo | hablara |
| tú | hablaras |
| él/ella/usted | hablara |
| nosotros/as | habláramos |
| vosotros/as | hablarais |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hablaran |
Alternative formation (less common but useful for reading): You may also encounter forms with -se endings: hablase, hablases, hablase, hablásemos, hablaseis, hablasen. This formation follows the same pattern but is primarily used in formal writing.
Uses of the imperfect subjunctive
When the main verb is in the past
Use the imperfect subjunctive when the main clause verb is in the past and the situation would normally require the subjunctive.
Examples:
- El profesor quería que yo hablara en español = The teacher wanted us to speak in Spanish
- Era importante que los estudiantes supieran el subjuntivo = It was important that the students knew the subjunctive
In mixed time constructions
When the main verb is present but refers to a past action in the subordinate clause:
Examples:
- Pedro espera que yo ganara el premio = Pedro hopes that I won the prize
- Siento que no conoceríamos a Carlos = I'm sorry that we didn't meet Carlos
In hypothetical 'if' clauses
The imperfect subjunctive is used in hypothetical situations:
Examples:
- Si tuviera tiempo iría a la fiesta = If I had time I would go to the party
- Si yo ganara la lotería compraría una casa nueva = If I won the lottery I would buy a new house
- Si lo viera lo reconocería = If I saw him I would recognise him
Example sentences
Here are some key examples showing the subjunctive in context:
Present subjunctive:
- Quiero que Juan se siente = I want John to sit down
- Le digo a Juan que se siente = I tell John to sit down
- Espero que Juan se siente = I hope that John sits down
- Prefiero que Juan se siente = I prefer that John sits down
- Es necesario que Juan se siente = It's necessary that John sits down
- Es posible que Juan se siente = It's possible that John will sit down
- Dudo que Juan se siente = I doubt that John will sit down
Imperfect subjunctive:
- Quería que te quedaras en casa = I wanted you to stay at home
- No creía que Nadal fuera un buen tenista = I didn't think that Nadal was a good tennis player
- Era posible que Juan tuviera el dinero = It was possible that John had the money
Common mistakes & tips
Watch out for these common errors:
-
Forgetting the opposite endings: Remember that -ar verbs take -e endings and -er/-ir verbs take -a endings in the subjunctive - the opposite of what you'd expect.
-
Using indicative instead of subjunctive: After expressions of doubt, emotion, or influence, always check if you need the subjunctive. If there's uncertainty or subjectivity, you probably need it.
-
Incorrect formation of irregular verbs: Pay special attention to completely irregular verbs like ser (sea), ir (vaya), estar (esté), dar (dé), sabre (sepa), and haber (haya).
-
Mixing up radical changing patterns: Remember that -ir verbs with stem changes have additional changes in nosotros and vosotros forms in the present subjunctive.
-
Forgetting the imperfect subjunctive in past contexts: When your main verb is past tense, you need the imperfect subjunctive, not the present subjunctive.
Memory tips:
- Think "opposite endings" for the present subjunctive formation
- Use the mnemonic WEIRDO: Wishes, Emotions, Impersonal expressions, Requests/Recommendations, Doubt/Denial, Orders/Obligations
- For imperfect subjunctive, remember "take away -ron, add the endings"
Key Points to Remember:
- The subjunctive expresses uncertainty, emotion, desire, and influence - not facts or commands
- Form the present subjunctive by taking the yo form, removing -o, and adding opposite endings
- Use the present subjunctive when the main verb is present, imperfect subjunctive when it's past
- Common triggers include verbs of emotion/influence, expressions of doubt, and impersonal expressions
- Pay careful attention to irregular verbs and radical changing patterns