CHAPTER FOUR
Spanish Subjunctive uses 1: Noun clauses
Rob Ashby
The Spanish Obsessive
In this section, we meet one of the most common uses of the subjunctive: Subordinated noun phrases.
We know, that sounds scary. Don’t worry, we’ll go slowly and you’ll be able to check your comprehension at each step.
We’ll start this chapter with some fundamental grammar points: if you are already comfortable with clause, subject, and object, then continue on. Otherwise, check out these explanations:
What is the subject?
In a sentence (or clause), the subject is the thing that is doing the action. This typically goes before the verb:
Rob is eating pasta
You are learning Spanish
The Spanish subjunctive is very easy
What is the object?
The object is the thing in a sentence that is being affected by the verb – it’s on the receiving end of the verb:
Rob is eating pasta
You are learning Spanish
Not every clause has an object, however:
The Spanish subjunctive is very easy
What is a clause?
A clause is the smallest phrase which can convey meaning on its own. It always has a subject, and will often have an object, as well as lots of other things. However, for our purposes, we only need to think about a clause like this:
SUBJECT + VERB + OBJECTRob is eating pasta
You are learning Spanish
Different types of object
Let’s take the following sentence:
Rob wants to eat pasta
Let’s find the subject, verb, and object:
The subject usually answers the question “who?”:
Who wants to eat pasta? → Rob wants to eat pasta
The verb is the “action”, or “doing” word:
Rob wants to eat pasta
The object usually answers the question “what?”:
Rob wants what? → Rob wants to eat pasta
As we can see above, the object is actually another clause: “to eat pasta”.
Let’s do one more:Lis wants Rob to eat less pasta
Subject: Lis
Verb: Wants
Object: Rob to eat less pasta
Test your memory
Let’s take that last example again:
Lis wants Rob to eat less pasta
In Spanish, the structure to express this is quite different:
Lis quiere que Rob coma menos pasta
In this structure, there are two clauses, each with their own subject and verb:
Lis quiere que…
Rob coma menos pasta
This is the first guideline for when to use the subjunctive:
Subject 1 cannot be the same as Subject 2
In this case, we use the subjunctive because the two subjects, Rob and Lis, are not the same.
A similar phrase using the same subject wouldn’t make sense (the asterisk indicates that it is grammatically incorrect):
*Rob wants Rob to eat less pasta
*Rob quiere que Rob coma menos pasta
This sentence would be expressed using the infinitive: Rob quiere comer menos pasta
So, rule 1 is that S1 cannot be the same as S2.
Rule 2 concerns the type of verb.
As we saw in the previous chapter, there are various types of verb which lean towards “unreality”, or “non-real” situations. When you wish something were so, when you want someone to do something, when you need someone to go somewhere; all of these imply non-real situations:
I wish you were here (reality: you are not here)
I need you to go over there (reality: you are not over there now)
I want you to do something (reality: it’s not done at the moment)
You may find it easier to use an acronym for these verbs: WEIRDO
Wishing
Emotion
Impersonal expression
Requesting
Doubt
Ojalá
Wishing verbs includes those that express willing, wanting, etc:
Desear
Necesitar
Quiero
etc
Verbs of emotion include:
Lastimar que… To be sorry that…
Alegrarse que… To be happy that…
Molestarse que… To be annoyed that…
etc
Impersonal expressions involve the structure es + adjective + que…
Es increíble que…
Es muy bueno que…
Es lamentable que…
etc
Verbs of requesting are similar to willing, but tend to involve other people too. These involve demanding, asking for, etc:
Pedir que… To ask that…
Querer que… To want that…
etc
Verbs of doubt include:
Dudar que… To doubt that…
No creer que… Not to believe that…
Negar que… To deny that…
etc
Ojalá is a set expression in Spanish, which actually comes from Arabic, meaning “God willing”. It is invariably followed by the subjunctive (you can also include que). Let’s put it all together. We use the subjunctive when:
Subject 1 is not the same as subject 2
AND
the verb is WEIRDO
Let’s look at a few examples:
Example 1
Esperamos que puedas venir: We hope that you can come
Subject 1 (S1): Nosotros (implied with esperamos)
Subject 2 (S2): Tú (implied with puedas)
Verb: Esperar, this is a verb of “willing”.
This phrase passes both tests. S1 ≠ S2, and the verb is WEIRDO: We use the subjunctive pueda
Example 2
Creo que ella viene mañana
S1: Yo
S2: Ella
Verb: Creer. This is not a WEIRDO verb, as it does not express doubt. This expresses belief or certainty. Therefore, we don’t use the subjunctive.
Example 3:
Es muy bueno que estemos todos juntos
This is an impersonal expression: es + adjective + que…
Verb: Estar
Therefore, we use the subjunctive estemos
Example 4:
Me alegro que se hayan ido
S1: Yo
S2: Ellos
Verb: Alegrarse
Let’s check our guidelines. S1≠S2, and alegrarse is a verb of emotion. So, we use the subjunctive with the verb irse: se hayan ido