In Spanish, the subjunctive mood (el modo subjuntivo) is used to express doubt, emotions, wishes, opinions or hypothetical situations. We use it after certain verbs or expressions (known as subjunctive triggers).
Remember! The subjunctive trigger is not conjugated in the subjunctive mood. What is conjugated in this mood is the verb that comes after the subjunctive trigger.
Also, to use the subjunctive mood, the person in the subjunctive trigger must be a different person from the one in the verb that follows.
Let’s see some examples:
Espero que vengas pronto.
I hope you come soon.
Pepe quería que su hijo comiera manzanas.
Pepe wanted his son to eat apples.
Es importante que leamos esa novela.
It’s important that we read that novel.
Let’s see these examples again, in a table:
| SUBJUNCTIVE TRIGGER (NORMAL CONJUGATION) | SUBJUNCTIVE VERB (SPECIAL CONJUGATION) |
| Espero I hope | que vengas pronto. you come soon. |
| Pepe quería Pepe wanted | que su hijo comiera manzanas. his son to eat apples. |
| Es importante It’s important | que leamos esa novela. we read that novel. |
Sadly, it’s not as easy as it seems, because there are many exceptions. There are expressions that should be subjunctive triggers, but they are not, and the other way around. But don’t worry, we’ll learn them!
And don’t forget! The subjunctive mood can be in the past, in the present or the future!
Check the following links to learn everything you need to know about the Spanish subjunctive:
1. Subjunctive Triggers in a Snap!
2. All the Main Subjunctive Tenses in a Snap! (COMING SOON)
