Spanish subjunctive examples: when to use it, from real conversations
Ojalá, quiero que, para que, cuando tengas tiempo, no creo que: when to use the Spanish subjunctive, with real examples, and how natives bend the rules with si tendría and haiga.
Główny geek dydaktyki językowej @ Reelang
Grammar books make the Spanish subjunctive look like a mountain: a mood, with its own logic, several tenses and a long list of triggers. In real conversation it is much smaller. Most subjunctives come out of the same few dozen phrases: ojalá, quiero que, para que, cuando tengas tiempo, no creo que, que te vaya bien. Learn the phrases and you have most of the subjunctive you will ever hear.
Here is when to use the subjunctive in Spanish, in short. It usually follows "que", in the second half of a sentence, when the first half expresses one of these:
- a wish or a request: quiero que vengas (I want you to come), te pido que me llames (I'm asking you to call me)
- an emotion: me alegra que estés aquí (I'm glad you're here)
- doubt or disbelief: no creo que llueva (I don't think it will rain)
- a judgment or a need: es importante que descanses (it's important that you rest)
It also comes after some connecting words (para que, antes de que, and cuando or hasta que when they point to the future), after ojalá, and in a set of fixed expressions. If both halves of the sentence have the same subject, Spanish usually uses the infinitive instead: quiero ir (I want to go), but quiero que vayas (I want you to go).
| Trigger | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| ojalá | ojalá llueva | I hope it rains |
| quiero que, espero que | espero que te guste | I hope you like it |
| para que | te lo digo para que lo sepas | I'm telling you so you know |
| cuando + future | cuando tengas tiempo | when you have time |
| no creo que, dudo que | no creo que venga | I don't think he'll come |
| es importante que, hace falta que | hace falta que hablemos | we need to talk |
| aunque (possibility) | aunque llueva, voy | even if it rains, I'm going |
| fixed phrases | que te vaya bien | all the best, take care |
Below are real subjunctive examples from native speakers, organized by the phrases people actually say. After the rules comes the part grammar books leave out: "si tendría", "haiga", "no creo que es" and the other ways real speech bends the rules. Tap any word in the subtitles to see what it means.
Ojalá: I hope, if only
Ojalá is the easiest way into the subjunctive, because the subjunctive always follows it. It means "I hope" or "let's hope", and it comes from an old Arabic phrase meaning "if God wills". You can say "ojalá" or "ojalá que", and in Mexico and Central America you will also hear "ojalá y".
In this clip, someone watches an old woman dance like Michael Jackson: "Ojalá yo a esa edad sepa moverme así" means "I hope I can move like that at her age". Sepa is the present subjunctive of saber.
With the present subjunctive, ojalá is a real hope: it could happen. With the past subjunctive (ojalá estuviera aquí, I wish he were here) it becomes a wish that is unlikely or impossible. There is an example of that further down.
Quiero que and espero que: wanting things from other people
When you want something for yourself, you use the infinitive: quiero dormir (I want to sleep). When you want someone else to do something, Spanish needs "que" plus the subjunctive: quiero que duermas (I want you to sleep). English uses "want you to", which is why this one feels strange at first.
"Quiero que sepas" (I want you to know) is one of the most common subjunctive phrases in Spanish, especially in serious conversations. Here it opens an argument about trust: "quiero que sepas, mi vida, que yo no entiendo por qué tú desconfías", "I want you to know, my love, that I don't understand why you don't trust me".
The first line has two more: "para que veas videos, veas WhatsApp", "so you can watch videos, look at WhatsApp".
Espero que (I hope that) works the same way, and you hear it at the end of almost every Spanish YouTube video. A YouTuber from Spain wraps up a video: "Espero que os haya gustado este video, y si queréis que haga más como este, me lo decís en un comentario", "I hope you liked this video, and if you want me to make more like it, tell me in a comment". Haya gustado is the perfect subjunctive. Queréis que haga is another "want someone to" sentence.
Other verbs in this family: pedir que (to ask someone to), decir que (to tell someone to), necesitar que (to need someone to), preferir que (to prefer that). Note that "decir que" takes the subjunctive only as an order. "Dice que viene" means "he says he's coming". "Dice que vengas" means "he says you should come".
Para que: so that
Para que (so that, in order for) is always followed by the subjunctive, because the result hasn't happened yet. Compare para plus infinitive when the subject stays the same: "lo llamo para hablar" (I'm calling him to talk), but "lo llamo para que venga" (I'm calling him so he comes).
In this short sketch, a woman misses her boyfriend: "Ay, extraño a mi novio. Ojalá estuviera aquí. Voy a llamarlo para que venga." That is "I miss my boyfriend. I wish he were here. I'm going to call him so he comes." Two subjunctives in three short lines.
Antes de que (before) and sin que (without) also always take the subjunctive: "come antes de que se enfríe" (eat before it gets cold), "salió sin que lo viéramos" (he left without us seeing him).
Cuando tengas tiempo: cuando and the future
This trigger is easy to miss, because English uses the present here: "when you have time". Spanish uses the present subjunctive when "cuando" points to the future: cuando tengas tiempo, cuando llegues, cuando seas grande.
In this episode of El Chavo del Ocho, Chavo gets advice he doesn't want: "si tú te bañas todos los días, cuando seas grande llegarás a ser un hombre como el profesor Jirafales", "if you take a bath every day, when you grow up you'll become a man like Professor Jirafales". Seas is the subjunctive of ser. Chavo's answer: no, no me baño.
The exact phrase "cuando tengas tiempo" is everywhere, often as a friendly invitation. Here: "Cuando tengas tiempo y ganas, ven a verme correr", "when you have the time and you feel like it, come and see me run".
When cuando talks about habits or the past, it takes the indicative, because those things are real: "cuando tengo tiempo, leo" (when I have time, I read), "cuando tenía tiempo, leía" (when I had time, I used to read). The same goes for hasta que (until), en cuanto (as soon as) and después de que (after).
No creo que and dudo que: doubt
"Creo que" (I think that) takes the indicative, because you are stating what you believe: creo que viene. Negate it, and it takes the subjunctive: no creo que venga (I don't think he's coming). The same goes for dudo que (I doubt that), no pienso que and no estoy seguro de que.
Twin sisters walk to school in heavy rain: "con esta lluvia no creo que venga el profe", "with this rain I don't think the teacher will come".
And from Argentina, before building a gingerbread house: "Dudo que me salga así, pero bueno, ya fue", "I doubt mine will turn out like that, but oh well". "Ya fue" is Rioplatense slang for "whatever, it's done".
The opposite works too. "No dudo que" (I don't doubt that) expresses certainty, so it normally takes the indicative. A food vlogger in Mexico City says "No dudo que volveré porque el sabor es bueno", "I'm sure I'll come back because the food tastes good".
Es importante que and hace falta que: judgments and needs
Impersonal phrases that give an opinion or say something is needed take the subjunctive: es importante que, es necesario que, es mejor que, es normal que, hace falta que, no hace falta que. Phrases that state a fact take the indicative: es verdad que, es obvio que, está claro que.
A cleaning tip: "Es importante que este esté bien caliente", "it's important that this is really hot". Listen to the next line too: "hasta que cubra totalmente las piezas", "until it completely covers the parts". That is hasta que with the subjunctive, because the covering hasn't happened yet.
Hace falta (it takes, we need) is very common in Spain and Latin America. This clip has three subjunctive triggers in two lines. "No quiero decir que las rutinas sean malas" means "I don't mean that routines are bad": negated "decir que" takes the subjunctive. Then "hace falta algo que nos ayude a salir de ese ciclo, aunque sea por unos minutos al día": "we need something that helps us break out of that cycle, even if it's just for a few minutes a day".
"Algo que nos ayude" is another use worth knowing: the subjunctive after a description of something you are looking for but don't have yet. "Busco un piso que tenga terraza" means "I'm looking for an apartment that has a terrace", any apartment, if one exists.
Aunque: although or even if
Aunque can take either mood, and the meaning changes. With the indicative, it means "although", and you are stating a fact. With the subjunctive, it means "even if" or "even though", for something that is only possible, or something you treat as unimportant.
The fact version, from a video about fruit and diabetes: "Aunque tiene mucha agua, su índice glucémico es muy alto", "although it contains a lot of water, its glycemic index is very high". Watermelon really does contain a lot of water, so tiene is indicative.
The subjunctive version was in the clip just above: "aunque sea por unos minutos al día", even if it's only a few minutes a day. "Aunque sea" on its own is a very common phrase meaning "at least" or "even if it's just": "dame aunque sea un poquito" (give me at least a little bit).
Que te vaya bien and other fixed expressions
A lot of everyday subjunctives are short wishes that start with que. They are what's left of a longer sentence like "espero que te vaya bien" (I hope it goes well for you), with the first part dropped.
- que te vaya bien: take care, all the best (when someone leaves)
- que descanses: rest well, sleep well
- que te mejores: get well soon
- que tengas un buen día: have a nice day
- que aproveche: enjoy your meal (common in Spain)
- que lo pases bien: have a good time
A bicycle taxi driver in Havana says goodbye to his passenger: "Que le vaya bien. Amén. Gracias." Le is the formal usted form. With a friend it would be "que te vaya bien", with a group "que les vaya bien".
Another group of fixed phrases uses the subjunctive for "whatever" and "however":
- lo que quieras: whatever you want
- como quieras: however you want, as you like
- cuando quieras: whenever you want
- sea como sea: be that as it may, either way
- pase lo que pase: whatever happens
- digan lo que digan: whatever people say
"Pide lo que quieras, yo te invito" means "order whatever you want, it's on me". The reply is a good one to know too: "en serio, pero tampoco exageres", "seriously, but don't go overboard".
The past subjunctive: si tuviera, quería que vinieras
The past (imperfect) subjunctive has two sets of endings, -ra and -se: tuviera or tuviese, fuera or fuese. Both are correct. It turns up in two main places.
The first is hypothetical "if" sentences. Si plus past subjunctive gives the condition, and the conditional gives the result: "si tuviera dinero, viajaría", "if I had money, I would travel". Two people talk about a woman who sells arepas on the street: "Si fuera hija de alguien importante, no estaría ahí en la calle vendiendo arepas", "if she were the daughter of someone important, she wouldn't be out in the street selling arepas".
The second is any subjunctive trigger in the past. Quiero que vengas becomes quería que vinieras (I wanted you to come), espero que te guste becomes esperaba que te gustara (I hoped you'd like it). In this kids' sketch, a boy admits what he was really after: "Solo quería que mi hermana dijera mi nombre", "I just wanted my sister to say my name".
How native speakers actually use the subjunctive
Native speakers don't think about the subjunctive. They just use it, and most of the time they use it exactly as described above. But like every part of a living language, it has regional habits and casual shortcuts. These are the ones you are most likely to hear. Some are common and accepted, some are strongly criticized. Knowing which is which helps you understand people without copying what you don't want to copy.
Si tendría instead of si tuviera
In standard Spanish, the conditional (tendría, podría) never goes right after "si" in an if-clause. It is "si tuviera tiempo, iría", not "si tendría tiempo, iría". But many speakers put the conditional in both halves. It is typical of the Basque Country, Navarra, La Rioja and Cantabria in northern Spain, and you also hear it in some parts of Latin America.
Here a young activist gives advice: "Y si tendría que dar un consejo a alguien que esté arrancando...", "and if I had to give advice to someone who's just starting out...". Standard Spanish would be "si tuviera que dar un consejo". Notice the correct present subjunctive right after it: alguien que esté arrancando, someone who is starting (whoever that is).
Outside those regions, "si tendría" is strongly criticized, and Spanish teachers correct it all the time. Don't copy it. But if you live in Bilbao or Pamplona, expect to hear it from educated speakers every day.
Haiga instead of haya
Haya is the present subjunctive of haber: "espero que no haya problemas" (I hope there aren't any problems). Haiga is an older form of the same word. It was standard centuries ago and survives in rural and working-class speech in Mexico, Central America, the Andes and parts of Spain.
Today it is one of the most criticized words in Spanish, and people correct it out loud. This clip is a short lesson about that. Someone laughs at a construction worker: "Es que dijo haiga y es haya", "it's because he said haiga and it's haya". The answer: "Pero, ¿y acaso vos podés construir una casa como lo hace él?", "but can you build a house the way he does?".
Use haya. When you hear haiga, you are hearing a very old form of Spanish, not a sign that the speaker is careless.
No creo que es: the indicative where the book wants the subjunctive
In casual speech, especially in Latin America, people sometimes use the indicative after "no creo que": no creo que es, no creo que va a pasar. Often it sounds a little more certain, closer to "I'm pretty sure it won't". In this interview about going back to the Moon, the speaker is asked if something will ever happen: "No, no creo que va a suceder", "no, I don't think it's going to happen". The textbook version is "no creo que vaya a suceder".
You will also hear it from heritage speakers in the US, whose Spanish is influenced by English. In an exam, always use the subjunctive after no creo que.
Quería que me interrumpa: present subjunctive after a past verb
The textbook rule says that a past main verb takes the past subjunctive: quería que nadie me interrumpiera. In Latin America especially, many speakers use the present subjunctive instead, particularly when the situation still feels current. A husband explains why he locked the door: "Estaba cerrando un negocio y no quería que nadie me interrumpa", "I was closing a deal and I didn't want anyone to interrupt me".
This one is widespread and rarely noticed in conversation. In writing and in exams, stick to the past subjunctive: quería que nadie me interrumpiera.
Después de que: indicative, subjunctive, and the news
"Después de que" (after) follows the cuando rule: subjunctive for the future ("llámame después de que termines", call me after you finish), indicative for the past ("después de que nos casamos", after we got married). That is what you will hear in conversation.
News Spanish does something different. Journalists often use the -ra past subjunctive for things that really happened: "después de que una mujer pagara su compra" (after a woman paid for her shopping). It sounds formal, it is accepted, and it is so common in headlines that it is worth recognizing. You don't need to use it yourself.
Tuviese or tuviera: the -se past subjunctive
The -se forms (tuviese, fuese, pudiese) mean exactly the same as the -ra forms (tuviera, fuera, pudiera). The -ra forms are more common everywhere, and in Latin America the -se forms sound formal or written. In Spain, both are alive in everyday speech.
The singer Alaska, a big name in Spanish pop since the 1980s, tries to explain a point with potatoes: "si las patatas fuesen caras... imagina por el momento que las patatas fritas fuesen igual de caras que el caviar", "if potatoes were expensive... imagine for a moment that French fries were as expensive as caviar".
Learn the -ra forms first, because you can use them everywhere. Recognize the -se forms, because you will meet them in Spain, in books and in songs.
Questions and answers
When do you use the subjunctive in Spanish?
Mostly after que, when the first part of the sentence expresses a wish, a request, an emotion, doubt or a judgment, and the second part has a different subject: quiero que vengas (I want you to come). It also follows ojalá, para que, antes de que, and cuando when it refers to the future.
What triggers the subjunctive in Spanish?
Common triggers are ojalá, querer que, esperar que, pedir que, para que, antes de que, no creo que, dudo que, es importante que, hace falta que, and cuando, hasta que or después de que when they point to the future. Aunque takes the subjunctive when it means even if.
What are some examples of the present subjunctive in Spanish?
Ojalá llueva (I hope it rains), quiero que sepas (I want you to know), cuando tengas tiempo (when you have time), no creo que venga (I don't think he'll come) and que te vaya bien (take care, all the best) are all everyday examples of the present subjunctive.
Does cuando take the subjunctive?
Only when it refers to the future: cuando tengas tiempo, llámame (when you have time, call me). For habits and the past it takes the indicative: cuando tengo tiempo, leo (when I have time, I read).
Is it no creo que es or no creo que sea?
The standard form is no creo que sea, with the subjunctive, because no creo que expresses doubt. No creo que es is heard in casual speech, especially in Latin America, but use the subjunctive in writing and in exams.
Is si tendría correct Spanish?
No, standard Spanish uses the past subjunctive after si: si tuviera tiempo, iría (if I had time, I would go). Si tendría is typical of northern Spain and some parts of Latin America, but it is widely criticized and counts as a mistake in exams.
What is the difference between tuviera and tuviese?
There is no difference in meaning: both are the past subjunctive of tener, and both are correct. The -ra form (tuviera) is more common everywhere, while the -se form (tuviese) is used in Spain and in formal or written Spanish.
How to learn the subjunctive
A list of triggers helps you check a sentence. Using the subjunctive without thinking comes from hearing "quiero que sepas", "cuando puedas" and "que te vaya bien" so many times that the indicative starts to sound wrong in those places. That is what Reelang is for: short videos of native Spanish speakers, with subtitles you can tap, at your level.
Start with Spanish videos at your level, or open the app and let the feed pick for you. Listen for the end of each video: you will hear "espero que os haya gustado" or "espero que les haya gustado" more often than you expect.
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