Learning Spanish can be both exciting and challenging, especially when you encounter the subjunctive mood. If you’re wondering, “what is the subjunctive in Spanish?” or “when to use subjunctive in Spanish?”, you’re in the right place.
This article will guide you through understanding and using the subjunctive in Spanish, focusing on present subjunctive conjugation and common triggers.
The Coffee Break Spanish Show is a series of short, informal podcast episodes, in which we discuss tricky but useful topics for Spanish learners. In the latest episode, Anabel and Mark introduce the present subjunctive, showing how the regular verbs are conjugated and some common triggers.
Listen along to the audio episode, or watch the video version while you read this article. Once you reach the end, don’t miss your free worksheet which you can download to put what you’ve learned to the test. ¡Vamos allá!
What is the subjunctive in Spanish?
The subjunctive is a mood in Spanish.
Unlike tenses, which tell us when something happens, a mood shows how the speaker feels about the action.
The important thing with the subjunctive in Spanish is not what we are saying but how we are saying it.
This mood is used to express wishes, probabilities, possibilities, prohibitions, orders, or doubts.
How to conjugate the present subjunctive in Spanish
To form the present subjunctive, you’ll need to follow these steps:
- Conjugate the present indicative first person singular (yo form) of the verb.
- Take away the -o.
- Add the endings according to whether it is an –AR, –ER or –IR type of verb.
Now, let’s look at the specific endings, along with an example.
-AR verbs
The present subjunctive endings for the –AR verbs are:
-e
-es
-e
-emos
-éis
-en
Now, let’s use the verb hablar (“to talk”) to illustrate this.
- Present indicative of the yo form: hablo.
- Remove the -o: habl-.
- Add the subjunctive endings: hable, hables, hable, hablemos, habléis, hablen.
-ER & -IR verbs
The present subjunctive endings for the –ER and -IR verbs are the same and are as follows:
-a
-as
-a
-amos
-áis
-an
Let’s take an irregular verb in the present indicative like salir (“to leave”) to see how it is conjugated in the subjunctive mood.
- Conjugate the present indicative of the yo form: salgo.
- Remove the -o: salg-.
- Add the subjunctive endings: salga, salgas, salga, salgamos, salgáis, salgan.
If you’d like further explanation and more practice of the conjugation of the present subjunctive in Spanish, you can listen to this episode of Coffee Break Spanish. La práctica hace al maestro (“practice makes perfect!”).
A summary of how to conjugate present subjunctive
As you can see, the endings of the subjunctive are very similar to the present indicative. Actually, what we have done is swap the vowels, so we use E in the –AR verbs and A in the -ER and -IR verbs. Mira:
comer (indicative): como, comes, come, comemos, coméis, comen
comer (subjunctive): coma, comas, coma, comamos, comáis, coman
When to use subjunctive in Spanish
The subjunctive in Spanish needs to be triggered by specific expressions or contexts. For today’s lesson, we’ll focus on expressions that trigger the subjunctive. These expressions often convey wishes, doubts, or uncertainty.
Common triggers for the subjunctive
Here are some common expressions that trigger the subjunctive:
Ojalá
Ojalá is a very useful adverb that can be translated as “I hope”. It is used to express a wish, and as Mark says in the episode, it’s the idea of “fingers crossed”, when hoping that something happens. For example:
¡Ojalá mañana salga el sol!
I hope the sun comes out tomorrow!
Quizás
Quizás means “perhaps” or “maybe” and it is used to express possibility or probability. An interesting point to note is that this word can be used as quizás and quizá – they are interchangeable! Let’s see now how it works in an example:
Quizás mañana hable con mi madre.
Maybe tomorrow I will speak to my mum.
Another thing that we must keep in mind is that quizá/quizás triggers the indicative and the subjunctive. Using one or the other changes the meaning subtly. Note this difference in probability in the following sentences.
Quizás vaya.
Maybe I will go (but this is unlikely to happen).
Quizás voy.
Maybe I will go (and it is likely to happen, so count me in).
Practice makes perfect
Let’s put this into practice with some translation exercises. Try translating these sentences from English into Spanish. Remember that we are trying to use the triggers covered in the episode. You’ll find the suggested translations at the end of this article. ¡Mucha suerte!
- I hope I can go on holiday this summer.
- Perhaps they will arrive a bit late.
Remember, the key to mastering the subjunctive in Spanish is practice. Keep using these expressions and conjugations in your sentences, and soon it will become second nature.
¡Y hasta aquí esta introducción al subjuntivo en español! We hope you now feel more comfortable knowing how to form the subjunctive in Spanish and how to use some of its triggers, like ojalá and quizás.
If you found this article useful, why not listen to the full episode with Anabel and Mark on The Coffee Break Spanish Show? For more episodes for Spanish learners, make sure to subscribe to our podcast feed and our channel on YouTube.
As well as this, you can sign up to receive regular, free email lessons to help you improve your Spanish. You will also receive language-learning tips and tricks from Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages. Sign up below!
Understanding the subjunctive in Spanish is a crucial step in your language-learning journey. By recognising triggers and practising the conjugation, you’ll soon feel more confident in using this mood. If you’d like to include more subjunctive in your daily conversation, you may find this video interesting, in which Mark and Marina explain how to use quisiera in Spanish.
Whether you’re expressing wishes, doubts, or possibilities, knowing how to make a subjunctive sentence in Spanish will enhance your communication skills and deepen your understanding of the language. Mucho ánimo usando el subjuntivo, and, as always,
Happy Coffee Breaking!
PS. Here are the answers to the translation challenge:
- Ojalá pueda ir de vacaciones este verano.
- Quizás lleguen un poco tarde.
