The indicative mood deals with actions and events that the speaker perceives as real or true. The subjunctive mood deals with actions or events that are NOT real to the speaker. Let´s analyze the following sentences:
- John estudia español. (John studies Spanish.)
- Quiero que John estudie español. (I want John to study Spanish.)
In the first sentence, the action is perceived as a fact: the speaker clearly knows that John studies Spanish. In the second sentence, the action is not real; the speaker is expressing his (or her) desire for John to study Spanish. Note that the second sentence has two parts (or clauses, if you want to be technical about it), joined by the relative pronoun "que":
- Quiero QUE John estudie español.
The first part of the sentence (the main clause) is "real"; the speaker clearly states that he (or she) wants John to do something. The second part, however, is NOT a fact, because John is not studying Spanish at the moment of speaking. The speaker is uncertain as to what John will do, and his (or her) use of the subjunctive expresses that uncertainty. Note that the second part of the sentence depends on the first part to make sense in Spanish.
The subjunctive mood refers to actions or events that are not real to the speaker, and we use it to express doubt, hope, fear, desire, etc. The following table lists the conjugation form of the subjunctive:
Present Subjunctive Conjugation (regular verbs)
hablar (-ar)
comer (-er)
vivir (-ir)
yo
hable
nosotros hablemos
yo
coma
nosotros comamos
yo
viva
nosotros vivamos
tú
hables
vosotros
habléis
tú
comas
vosotros comáis
tú
vivas
vosotros viváis
usted
hable
ustedes
hablen
usted
coma
ustedes coman
usted
viva
ustedes vivan
él/ella
hable
ellos/ellas hablen
él/ella
coma
ellos/ellas coman
él/ella
viva
ellos/ellas vivan
- Quiero que comas mejor. (I want you to eat better.)
- Deseo que hables en la reunión de hoy.
(I wish that you speak in today´s meeting.)
- Espero que vivas muchos años. (I hope that you live many years.)
- Dudo que Jaime hable inglés. (I doubt that Jaime speaks English.)
Note that when the subjunctive translates into English the infinitive form is used. Determining when to use the subjunctive in Spanish is a little tricky but not that difficult. Just remember to use it whenever you express something uncertain.
Subjunctive endings (regular verbs)
(-ar)
(-er)
(-ir)
-e
-emos
-a
-amos
-a
-amos
-es
-éis
-as
-áis
-as
-áis
-e
-en
-a
-an
-a
-an
-e
-en
-a
-an
-a
-an
Remember that the subjunctive is used to reflect wish, denial, doubt, disbelief, or uncertainty about the reality or the outcome of actions by a different subject. The key word here is "different"; if the main clause and the dependent clause refer to the same speaker, there is no need to use the subjunctive:
- Quiero aprender inglés. (I want to learn English.)
- Quiero que Elena aprenda inglés. (I want Elena to learn English.)
- Elena quiere conocer París. (Elena wishes to visit Paris.)
- Quiero que Elena conozca París. (I want Elena to visit Paris.)
- Quiero conocerte mejor. (I want to get to know you better.)
- Quiero que me conozcas mejor. (I want you to get to know me better.)
- Creo que Juan habla inglés. (I think Juan speaks English.)
- No creo que Juan hable inglés. (I don´t think Juan speaks English.)
We also use the subjunctive mood with verbs that express advice, suggestion or command:
- Te aconsejo que vayas al médico. (I advice you to go to the doctor.)
- ¡Te exigo que me digas la verdad! (I demand that you tell me the truth!)
- Te sugiero que visites Tailandia. (I suggest that you visit Thailand.)
