Introduction to the Subjunctive

Introduction to the Subjunctive Mood

SPA 211

Profe Lentz

pp. 327-330

Experience Spanish

The subjunctive (el subjuntivo)

• verb mood used to say what one person does or doesn’t want, tell, suggest, or recommend someone else to do.

• Ejemplo: Quiero que me hagas un favor. (I want you to do me a favor.)

More reasons the subjunctive might be used: WEDDING.

• Will (verbs of volition such as preferir (ie, i)/to prefer)

• Emotion (verbs of emotion such as sentir (ie, i)/to regret or alegrarse de/to be happy about)

• Desire (verbs such as querer (ie)/to want) 

• Doubt (verbs such as dudar/to doubt)

• Impersonal expressions (es posible/it is possible)

• Negative (neg. antecedents like nadie/no one)

• Generalized expressions (Ojalá/hopefully, en caso de que/in the event that )

Querer + que + present subjunctive

• One way to ask someone to do something, or to express a desire that another person do something, is to use querer + que + subjunctive

• Ejemplo: Mi madre quiere que mi hermano la lleve al mercado. (My mother wants my brother to take her to the market.)

How do you form the subjunctive?

• Same as formal (Ud. & Uds.) commands

• yo form of present indicative, drop -o, add opposite vowel ending

• ejemplos: hable/diga/coma/cierre

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Multiple Choice

Quiero que tú _____ (venir) conmigo al desfile.

• vienes

• vengas

• ven

• vinsite

The present subjunctive of stem changing verbs that end with -ir have an extra change in the nosotros/vosotros forms, in addition to the usual stem change in the other forms.

• servir (i, i) --> sirva, sirvas, sirva, sirvamos, sirváis, sirvan

• dormir (ue, u) --> duerma, duermas, duerma, durmamos, durmáis, duerman

• use change AFTER the comma for nosotros and vosotros forms only, ex: me divierta, nos divirtamos (ie, i)

Multiple Choice

Nuestros abuelos quieren que _____ (divertirnos) (ie, i) mucho.

• nos divertimos

• nos diviertamos

• nos divirtamos

• divirtamosnos

There are only 6 irregular verbs in the present subjunctive. (Same as Ud./Uds commands). Remember DISHES.

• dar-> dé, des, dé, demos, deis, den

• ir-> vaya, vayas, vaya, vayamos, vayáis, vayan

• saber-> sepa, sepas, sepa, sepamos, sepáis, sepan

• haber-> haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayáis, hayan

• estar-> esté, estés, esté, estemos, estéis, estén

• ser-> sea, seas, sea, seamos, seáis, sean

Haber

• Hay mucha gente en la fiesta. (There are a lot of people at the party) (INDICATIVE MOOD--> fact)

• No quiero que haya mucha gente en la fiesta. (I don't want there to be a lot people at the party.) (SUBJUNTIVE MOOD--> desire)

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