When do you use the subjunctive in Spanish?
By Mert Yerekapan · Updated
Use the subjunctive when you're talking about something that isn't a plain fact: wishes, doubts, emotions about something, requests, and things that haven't happened yet. The indicative is for what is real and known. Sé que viene (I know he's coming) is indicative. Quiero que venga (I want him to come) is subjunctive.
It's a mood, not a tense
English has a subjunctive too, you just rarely notice it: "I suggest that he be on time" or "If I were you". Spanish uses it far more often. The good news is that you can get a long way with a handful of triggers.
The WEIRDO triggers
A popular memory aid is WEIRDO. Each letter is a kind of situation that usually calls for the subjunctive after que:
- Wishes: Quiero que vengas (I want you to come)
- Emotions: Me alegra que estés aquí (I'm glad you're here)
- Impersonal expressions: Es importante que estudies (It's important that you study)
- Recommendations: Te recomiendo que duermas más (I recommend that you sleep more)
- Doubt and denial: Dudo que tenga tiempo (I doubt he has time)
- Ojalá: Ojalá llueva mañana (I hope it rains tomorrow)
A key condition is that there are usually two different subjects. If it's the same person, you use the infinitive: Quiero comer (I want to eat), but Quiero que comas (I want you to eat).
Other common triggers
- Time words about the future: Cuando llegues, llámame (When you arrive, call me). Compare Cuando llego, siempre saludo (When I arrive, I always say hi), which is a habit, so indicative.
- Purpose and timing phrases: para que and antes de que, as in Te lo explico para que entiendas (I'll explain it so you understand)
- Indefinite or unknown things: Busco un piso que tenga balcón (I'm looking for an apartment that has a balcony - any one). With a specific place in mind: Busco el piso que tiene balcón.
- Si with imagined situations: Si tuviera dinero, viajaría más (If I had money, I'd travel more)
Quick comparison
| Indicative (real) | Subjunctive (not a fact) |
|---|---|
| Creo que es verdad (I think it's true) | No creo que sea verdad (I don't think it's true) |
| Es obvio que lo sabe (It's obvious he knows) | Es posible que lo sepa (It's possible he knows) |
| Dice que viene (He says he's coming) | Quiere que venga (He wants him to come) |
How the forms work
For present subjunctive, take the yo form, drop the -o, and flip the vowel: -ar verbs take -e endings, -er and -ir verbs take -a endings. So hablar becomes hable, hables, hable, hablemos, habléis, hablen, and comer becomes coma, comas, coma, comamos, comáis, coman.
What I'd do about it
My take: don't wait until you "master" the subjunctive. Learn the top triggers (quiero que, espero que, ojalá, cuando, para que) as chunks and use them. Native speakers use these phrases constantly, so you'll hear plenty of examples, and your ear will do half the work. Short stories are a good place to catch them. In Langtok, the app I built, you can tap any word to check it, so spotting quiero que or para que in a real sentence takes a second. If you're still choosing what to learn first, see how much grammar you need to speak Spanish.