Spanish subjunctive: four useful patterns to start with

The Spanish subjunctive is easier to approach through a few complete sentences than through a long list of forms with no situation attached. Start with expressions you are likely to need, then widen the range.

A mood is a grammatical category of the verb. In viene and venga, the forms belong to different moods: indicative and subjunctive. Which one you choose depends on the construction and on how the speaker presents the content. It is not simply a test of whether something is real.

Wishes and requests

Quiero que vengas means “I want you to come”. Te pido que me ayudes means “I ask you to help me”. The subordinate clause, the part introduced by que, expresses what is wanted or requested.

Compare Quiero ir (“I want to go”) with Quiero que vayas (“I want you to go”). In the first, the same person wants and goes, so the infinitive is natural. In the second, the subjects differ.

That comparison is an explanation of these examples. It is not true that you always need two different people for the subjunctive in every construction.

Doubt and belief

With creo que viene I present the arrival as something I believe. With no creo que venga I say that I do not believe it. With dudo que venga I express doubt.

Learn the affirmative and negative examples together. They are a useful contrast. Not every negative sentence has a subjunctive. No viene is an ordinary negative sentence in the indicative.

Reactions to an event

Me alegra que estés aquí means “I’m glad you’re here”. You can say this to someone standing in front of you. Their presence is real, yet estés is subjunctive.

From this example you can see why “subjunctive means unreal” is wrong. With the construction you express a reaction to the person’s presence. The RAE’s guide to indicative and subjunctive includes emotion among the contexts that favour the subjunctive.

Other useful examples are Me sorprende que lo sepas (“I’m surprised you know”) and Es una lástima que no puedas venir (“It’s a shame you can’t come”).

Future time clauses

Cuando llegues, llámame means “When you arrive, call me”. The arrival is anticipated. With cuando llego a casa, preparo la cena I describe what I habitually do when I get home.

The future event can be expected with confidence. The subjunctive here is not a measure of how doubtful the speaker feels. Nor do you use it for every reference to the future: Mañana llega Ana is in the indicative.

After antes de que you normally use the subjunctive, even with past reference: Salí antes de que llegara Ana. Learn that construction separately rather than trying to force it into a future-only rule.

Give the form a meaning

You need to recognise and produce the relevant forms as well as understand the construction. Compare tienes/tengas, puedes/puedas and eres/seas. You can check them in a conjugation reference.

Then make a small change to a complete sentence: Quiero que vengas, Quiero que venga Ana, Queremos que vengas. Check both the intended meaning and the form.

With these four groups you have enough material to practise requests, reactions and wishes. Add relative clauses, conditions and other constructions as you encounter them.