Subjunctive

The subjunctive is a mood.

 * A tense refers to when an action takes place
 * A mood shows how the speaker feels about the action

The subjunctive is not used very often in English. It is much more widely used in Spanish, and it is very important that you learn how to use it correctly.

Here are some examples in English:

 * The law requires that you be 21.
 * Be that as it may.
 * If I were you....

All of the tenses you have learned have been in the indicative mood. The indicative mood is used to show certainty, state facts, and express objectivity.

Vas a España.
You are going to Spain. This sentence is indicative because it expresses a definite action.

Espero que tu vayas a España.
I hope that you go to Spain. This sentence is subjunctive because the phrase "espero que" indicates uncertainty. You may or may not go.

In fact, there are many phrases like this that trigger the use of the subjunctive:
 * **Es bueno** ||  || //It's good// ||   ||
 * **Es malo** ||^  || //It's bad// ||^   ||
 * **Es mejor** ||^  || //It's better// ||^   ||
 * **Es peor** ||^  || //It's worse// ||^   ||
 * **Es horrible** ||^  || //It's horrible// ||^   ||
 * **Es horrendo** ||^  || //It's horrendous// ||^   ||
 * **Es estupendo** ||^  || //It's stupendous// ||^   ||
 * **Es maravilloso** ||^  || //It's marvelous// ||^   ||
 * **Es posible** ||^  || //It's possible// ||^   ||
 * **Es imposible** ||^  || //It's impossible// ||^   ||
 * **Es probable** ||^  || //It's probable// ||^   ||
 * **Es improbable** ||^  || //It's improbable// ||^   ||
 * **Es increíble** ||^  || //It's incredible// ||^   ||
 * **Es necesario** ||^  || //It's necessary// ||^   ||
 * **Es preciso** ||^  || //It's necessary// ||^   ||
 * **Es urgente** ||^  || //It's urgent// ||^   ||
 * **Es importante** ||^  || //It's important// ||^   ||
 * **Es interesante** ||^  || //It's interesting// ||^   ||
 * **Es notable** ||^  || //It's notable// ||^   ||
 * **Es raro** ||^  || //It's// //unusual/strange// ||^   ||
 * **Es extraño** ||^  || //It's strange// ||^   ||
 * **Es estúpido** ||^  || //It's stupid// ||^   ||
 * **Es ridículo** ||^  || //It's ridiculous// ||^   ||
 * **Es curioso** ||^  || //It's curious// ||^   ||
 * **Es dudoso** ||^  || //It's doubtful// ||^   ||
 * **Es difícil** ||^  || //It's unlikely// ||^   ||
 * **Es fácil** ||^  || //It's likely// ||^   ||
 * **No es seguro** ||^  || //It's uncertain// ||^   ||
 * **No es cierto** ||^  || //It's uncertain// ||^   ||
 * **No es verdad** ||^  || //It's untrue// ||^   ||
 * Please note that these expressions use "que" before the sentence continues. For example, **Es bueno que ** //...// **

__// Chart Credits: http://www.studyspanish.com/lessons/subj1.htm and //__ __//[]//__

And this isn't even all of them! Don't Worry! It looks like a lot, but they are phrases that you will use a lot without even realizing it! Plus, its a whole lot easier to learn the phrases that don't use the subjunctive: to believe that ... to not doubt that ... it is certain that ... it is clear that ... it is certain that ... it is obvious that ... to be sure that ... it is true that ... there's no doubt that ... it is not doubtful that ... there is no doubt that ...
 * creer que ...**
 * no dudar que ...**
 * es cierto que ...**
 * es claro que ...**
 * es evidente que ...**
 * es obvio que ...**
 * estar seguro que ...**
 * es verdad que ...**
 * no cabe duda que ...**
 * no es dudoso que ...**
 * no hay duda que ...**



Present Conjugations :) (The easi//er// part)
Steps: 1. Start with the present "yo" form ex. hablar - hablo, tener - tengo

2. Drop the "o" ex. hablo - habl, tener - teng

3. Add the "opposite ending" Here's what I mean:
 * -ar verbs **
 * -e || -emos ||
 * -es || -éis ||
 * -e || -en ||
 * -er and -ir verbs**
 * -a || -amos ||
 * -as || -áis ||
 * -a || -an ||

So, in the "yo" form, our examples become hable and tenga.

Not so hard, is it? :)

//**Pensar - to think**// //**yo pienso**// []
 * Remember: there is no stem change in nosotros and vosotros.**
 * piense || pensemos ||
 * pienses || penséis ||
 * piense || piensen ||
 * Ok. Here's where it gets tricky. If you think you don't understand this last part, here is a link to some practice before you move on. If you feel that you could easily pass an open-note quiz, you can move on.**

For -ir stem-changing verbs, the formula applies except that the stem change in the nosotros and vosotros forms follows these patterns: o:ue verbs change o to u; e:ie verbs change e to i; e:i verbs change e to i. Ok, I promise that it's easier than it sounds.
 * The Weird Stem-Changers:**

dormir (yo duermo) duermo - o = duerm duerm + a = duerma duerm + as = duermas duerm + a = duerma durm + amos = durmamos durm + áis = durmáis duerm + an = duerman

sentir (yo siento) siento - o = sient sient + a = sienta sient + as = sientas sient + a = sienta sint + amos = sintamos sint + áis = sintáis sient + an = sientan

pedir (yo pido) pido - o = pid pid + a = pida pid + as = pidas pid + a = pida pid + amos = pidamos pid + áis = pidáis pid + an = pidan

Here is a practice quiz that covers all of the conjugations: []

(BTW if you ever need help understanding any Spanish grammatical concept, studyspanish.com has a bunch of great resources.) :D

=

=Phonetic Spelling Changes (Verbs that change //orthographically//)=

As you already know, Spanish is a phonetically-spelled language. This means that things are spelled the way that they sound. This is really helpful at times, and annoying at others. Remember those pesky -car -gar -zar verbs? And all those verbs that add a y in the middle when there is two vowels? Those are //orthographic changes//, or a change in spelling to maintain consistency between the spoken form and the written form. Luckily, you will find that many of these verbs will look or sound wrong if you don't change them. This will come after lots of practice. :)

These changes happen in all forms, not just the yo form. :) Apply the orthographic change and then add on the appropriate ending.

**-car, -gar, and -zar**
ex. buscar - busque ex. pagar - pague ex. empezar - empece Remember: car gar zar goes to que gue ce.
 * -car:** the c becomes a qu
 * -gar:** the g becomes a gu
 * -zar:** the z becomes a c

seemingly random y
Verbs that end in uir, like huir replace add a y before attaching the ending ex. huir - huya

the g verbs
ex. escoger - escoja elegir - elija ex. seguir - siga
 * -ger or - gir verbs replace the g with a j (What?)**
 * -guir changes the gu to just a g**

Oh my gosh that's a lot to remember! Good thing I've provided a link to another studyspanish quiz. []

=Wait... Those weren't the irregulars?= I am so sorry to have to do this to you. There are a few verbs that just really hate people who want to learn Spanish. They just want to be really irregular. The bad part is, you have to just memorize them. The good part is, I've provided a link to some flashcards on quizlet to help you practice! []

Dar Estar Haber* (auxiliary) ir saber ser
 * dé || demos ||
 * des || déis ||
 * dé || den ||
 * esté || estemos ||
 * estés || estéis ||
 * esté || estén ||
 * haya || hayamos ||
 * hayas || hayáis ||
 * haya || hayan ||
 * vaya || vayamos ||
 * vayas || vayáis ||
 * vaya || vayan ||
 * sepa || sepamos ||
 * sepas || sepáis ||
 * sepa || sepan ||
 * sea || seamos ||
 * seas || seáis ||
 * sea || sean ||

=Last Few Tips.= Remember, the subjunctive is used to indicate doubt, ignorance, desire, actions not yet completed, and is used with impersonal expressions.

Buena Suerte :)

-Verde