- What is the subjunctive mood?
- Verb tenses of the subjunctive mood
- Examples of sentences with subjunctive
We explain what the subjunctive mood is and what the conjugation is like in each of its verb tenses. Also, examples in sentences.
What is the subjunctive mood?
In grammar, is known as the subjunctive mood to one of the conjugation patterns of the verbs of many languages, especially those of Indo-European origin, such as Spanish, together with indicative and to imperative.
However, unlike the latter two, which respectively describe realities or give instructions, the subjunctive serves to express statements hypothetical, uncertain, such as wishes, odds or possibilities, whether they are imaginary and abstract, or have become reality.
For example, we use the subjunctive mood when stating that “I want that come on tomorrow "," I hope I listen good "or" I'm glad that you are here". As will be seen, understanding the subjunctive requires a certain subtlety, especially since it can be found assisting other verbal modes, such as the imperative, when we say phrases like “No talk of that ", or the conditional, when we say something like" I would only drink if we would have bought another glass ”.
As has been seen, it is very common for the subjunctive to appear in subordinate clauses or secondary clauses, after conjunctions What that, Yes, even if, among other. Just like the indicative mood, it has a list of different conjugations depending on the verb tense and the verb person.
Verb tenses of the subjunctive mood
The subjunctive mood, like the indicative, is conjugated according to two types of verb tenses: simple tenses and compound tenses, depending on whether they use the auxiliary verb "have". These times are:
- Present. Used to refer actions or wishes that have not yet occurred, may occur or have not yet finished occurring. The conjugation of the subjunctive in this tense obeys the following rule (it varies in the irregular verbs):
| Verbal person | Verbs ending in -ar | Verbs ending in -er or -ir |
|---|---|---|
| 1st singular (I) | -e (I talked, to speak) | -to (drink, for drink; live to live) |
| 2nd singular (you) | -is (talk) | -as (drink; alive) |
| 2nd singular (you) | -e (I talked) | -to (drink; live) |
| 3rd singular (he / she) | -e (I talked) | -to (drink; live) |
| 1st plural (we) | -emos (let's talk) | -amos (let's drink; let's live) |
| 2nd plural (you) | -in (talk) | -an (drink; live) |
| 3rd plural (they / they) | -in (talk) | -an (drink; live) |
- Imperfect or copreterite past. Used to express unfinished past or future actions, of an assumed or unreal type, generally limited by the context or the temporal markers of the sentence. The conjugation occurs according to the following rule:
| Verbal person | Verbs ending in -ar | Verbs ending in -er or -ir |
|---|---|---|
| 1st singular (I) | -ara or -ase (to talk to, speak) | -iera or -iese (drank, drank; live, lived) |
| 2nd singular (you) | -aras or -ases (you will speak, you will speak) | -ieras or -ieses (you would drink, you would drink; you would live, would live) |
| 2nd singular (you) | -ara or -ase (to talk to, speak) | -iera or -iese (drank, drank; live, lived) |
| 3rd singular (he / she) | -ara or -ase (to talk to, speak) | -iera or -iese (drank, drank; live, lived) |
| 1st plural (we) | Let's go or let's go (we would talk, let's talk) | -were or -iesemos (we drank, drank; we lived, we lived) |
| 2nd plural (you) | -aran or -asen (they will speak, you speak in) | -iera or -iesen (would drink, drank; would live, live) |
| 3rd plural (they / they) | -aran or -asen (they will speak, you speak in) | -iera or -iesen (would drink, drank; would live, live) |
- Perfect tense. This is the first compound tense in the list, constructed by using the auxiliary "have" conjugated in the present tense of the subjunctive, and then the main verb in the participle (-ado, -ido). It is used to express oneself subjectively regarding actions that just happened in time, as in: “I'm glad that you have come"Or" I can't believe I know have fallen in love”. And so:
| Verbal person | Verb haber in the present subjunctive |
|---|---|
| 1st singular (I) | is |
| 2nd singular (you) | beech |
| 2nd singular (you) | is |
| 3rd singular (he / she) | is |
| 1st plural (we) | let us have |
| 2nd plural (you) | have |
| 3rd plural (they / they) | have |
- Past perfect. As in the previous case, it is a compound tense, which uses the auxiliary "have", but this time conjugated according to the rule of the past imperfect or copreterite, followed by the main verb in participle (-ado, -ido). In this case, it is used to express oneself regarding unreal or hypothetical situations of the past, which have already happened and are far from the present of the speaker, as in: “It would have a better grade if I would have studied"Or" When I arrived I was surprised that you it would have been already of the party ”. This is the conjugation:
| Verbal person | Verb have in the past imperfect of the subjunctive |
|---|---|
| 1st singular (I) | had, would have |
| 2nd singular (you) | would have, would have |
| 2nd singular (you) | had, would have |
| 3rd singular (he / she) | had, would have |
| 1st plural (we) | we would have, we would have |
| 2nd plural (you) | would have, would have |
| 3rd plural (they / they) | would have, would have |
- Simple future. Used to express hypothetical situations or actions that have not yet occurred, especially if they are subject to conditions.
| Verbal person | Verbs ending in -ar | Verbs ending in -er or -ir |
|---|---|---|
| 1st singular (I) | -are (I'll talk) | -iere (will drink; will live) |
| 2nd singular (you) | -ares (talk) | -ieres (you drink; will you live) |
| 2nd singular (you) | -are (I'll talk) | -to (will drink; will live) |
| 3rd singular (he / she) | -are (I'll talk) | -to (will drink; will live) |
| 1st plural (we) | -we will (we will talk) | -we will (we will drink; we will live) |
| 2nd plural (you) | -aren (speak in) | -ieren (will drink; they will live) |
| 3rd plural (they / they) | -aren (speak in) | -ieren (will drink; they will live) |
- Perfect future. Again, it is the compound form (with auxiliary "have") of the simple future tense, generally conditional or concessive use, very rare and reduced more than anything to legal language. It is used for possible future situations that imply some kind of consequence or relationship, and they are formed by conjugating the auxiliary in the future simple and the main verb in the participle (-ado, -ido). A) Yes:
| Verbal person | Verb haber in the future simple of the subjunctive |
|---|---|
| 1st singular (I) | there is |
| 2nd singular (you) | would you have |
| 2nd singular (you) | there is |
| 3rd singular (he / she) | Would have |
| 1st plural (we) | we would have |
| 2nd plural (you) | would have |
| 3rd plural (they / they) | would have |
Examples of sentences with subjunctive
Here are some sentences as an example of the use of the subjunctive:
- Let the honoree speak!
- I wish you had more patience for me, mom.
- I wouldn't have been wrong if I had listened to you earlier.
- Hopefully we win the lottery.
- Wherever you go, do what you see.
- I am looking for a woman who dances tango well.
- Alas, poor man who speaks ill of the queen!
- If he had sung properly, the award would be his.
- I need you to bring the briefcase home for me.
- May your trip go very well!
- We all want you to choose us for your group.
- Whoever refuses to collaborate with justice will be treated as a collaborator.
- If only there was a doctor on the plane!
- Whoever they were, they were your friends.
- If you had accepted my proposal, today we would be happy.
- I'd love if your parents didn't come looking for you today.