3 Possibility
- With adverbs as quizás, quizá, acaso, tal vez, posiblemente and probablemente subjunctive or indicative may be used. We use indicative if the adverb is after the verb. If the adverb is before the verb, we use subjunctive or indicative, notice that the subjunctive emphasizes the idea of doubt.
Tal vez tienes hijos. (= It seems very possible that you’re a family man.)
Tal vez tengas hijos. (= It is a possibility, I don’t know.)
Within the subjunctive may be expressed higher or lower intensity of doubt.
| Referring to | |
| Present / Future | Past |
| Small doubt | |
| Present (sub.) | Perfect (sub.) |
| Imperfect (sub.) | |
| Big doubt | |
| Imperfect (sub.) | |
Quizás se haya dormido. (Small doubt, past)
Quizá quiera encargar las flores ella misma. (Small doubt, future)
Luis no ha venido; probablemente esté viendo el partido por la tele. (Small doubt, present)
Luis no vino; posiblemente estuviera viendo el partido por la tele. (Big doubt, past)
But with a lo mejor is only possible the indicative.
A lo mejor tiene hijos.
A lo mejor estaba viendo el partido por la tele.
- With ser posible, ser imposible, ser probable, ser improbable and poder que the subjunctive is obligatory.
Puede que ya haya llegado.
Es posible que vaya.
Es improbable que ellos estén de acuerdo.
4 Impersonal
The impersonal patterns demand subjunctive: ser bueno, ser malo, ser mejor, ser peor, ser difícil, ser fácil, ser lógico, ser ilógico, ser natural, ser útil, ser inútil, estar bien, estar mal. In these clauses que introduces the subject.
Es lógico que no me haga caso.
Es inútil que lo intentemos otra vez.
Está bien que quieras seguir estudiando.
| Referring to | |
| Present / Future | Past |
| Present (sub.) | Perfect (sub.) |
5 Purpose
The purpose demands subjunctive in the subordinate clause if the subject of the main clause and the subject of the subordinate clause are different.
(Yo) solo he aceptado la invitación para que él no se enfade conmigo.
(Yo) solo habría aceptado su invitación para que (él) no se enfadase conmigo.
(Yo) te compré el jersey para que (tú) te lo pongas.
(Yo) te compré este jersey para que (tú) te lo pusieses.
The next correspondences of tenses are used between the verb of the main clause and the verb of the subordinate clause.
| Main verb | Subordinate verb |
| Present (ind.) | Present (sub.) |
| Future (ind) | Present (sub.) |
| Perfect (ind.) | Present (sub.) |
| Indefinite (ind.) | Imperfect (sub.) |
| Pluperfect (ind.) | Imperfect (sub.) |
| Imperfect (ind.) | Imperfect (sub.) |
| Conditional | Imperfect (sub.) |
| Compound conditional | Imperfect (sub.) |
When the subject of the main clause and the subject of the subordinate are the same infinitive is used.
(Yo) me compré este jersey para llevarlo con la blusa verde.
(Él) ha venido para pedirte perdón.
6 Time
- Cuando, en cuanto, tan pronto como, no bien, así que, el día en que, la tarde en que, la noche en que, la mañana en que, la próxima vez que, hasta que, a medida que, cada vez que, conforme, según, desde que, después (de) que, siempre que, esperar a que, etc. use present subjunctive with future value.
Cuando cumpla sesenta años me jubilaré.
Estaré trabajando hasta que vuelvas.
Esperaré a que llegues.
- Subjunctive is also used with antes (de) que.
Antes de que tú nacieras, yo ya estaba harta de trabajar.
Antes de que tú te vayas, yo ya habré llegado.
These are some of the most common temporary correspondences:
| Main verb | Subordinate verb |
| Present (ind.) | Imperfect (sub.) |
| Imperfect (ind) | Imperfect (sub.) |
| Pluperfect (ind.) | Imperfect (sub.) |
| Indefinite | Imperfect (sub.) |
| Conditional | Imperfect (sub.) |
| Present (ind.) | Present (sub.) |
| Future (ind.) | Present (sub.) |
| Future perfect (ind.) | Present (sub.) |
| Future (ind.) | Perfect (sub.) |
| Future compound (ind.) | Perfect (sub.) |
| Conditional | Pluperfect (sub.) |
| Imperfect (ind.) | Pluperfect (sub.) |
7 Commands
- Present subjunctive is always used with a negative order or a prohibition.
No vengas.
Te prohíbo que vengas.
- Que + present subjunctive is used in popular Spanish to repeat an order not obeyed.
–¡Cállate!
–Blablablabla…
–¡Que te calles!
This second order is usually a shout, or at least, is said in a firm voice.
- In commands, advices or formal instructions; in this case subjunctive is used in passive reflexive clauses.
Véase la página siguiente.
Manténgase fuera del alcance de los niños. (En etiquetas de productos de limpieza)
- With que followed by third persons (singular or plural) of the present subjunctive we give someone the job of telling someone else to do something.
Que venga María. (= Tell María to come.)
Que Tomás vaya a buscarnos al aeropuerto. (= Tell Tomás to go at the airport to look for us.)
8 Concession
- Aunque and other links maybe used with indicative or subjunctive. On the one side, in indicative the speaker reports a new fact, and in subjunctive the speaker mentions a fact already known by his interlocutor.
Aunque estoy cansado, iré al cine. (= I report that I am tired.)
Aunque estés cansado, tienes que ir al cine. (= I know you’re tired, but you have to go to the cinema.)
On the other side, the subjunctive may express probability. In this second case, the verbal correspondence is the following:
| Referring to | |
| Present / Futur | Past |
| Fulfilled statement | |
| Present (sub.) | Imperfect (sub.) |
| Difficult fulfilling | |
| Imperfect (sub.) | Pluperfect (sub.) |
Aunque tengas muchos dinero, eres un indeseable. (= It is quite possible that you have money, but you are a bad person.)
Aunque tuvieras mucho dinero, serías un indeseable. (= You have no money, and the money will not turn you into a good person.)
Aunque hayas tenido mucho dinero, no has sido feliz. (= It is quite possible that in the past you had a lot of money, but that did not make you a happy person.)
Aunque hubieras tenido mucho dinero, no habrías sido feliz. (= You’ve never had money and the money would not have made you happy.)
- Other concessive structures demand subjunctive: a riesgo de que formal, aun a riesgo de que formal, por + adjective + que y por muy + adjective + que.
Aun a riesgo de que me llames pesado, te vuelvo a recordar que salimos a las cinco.
Por muy listo que seas, siempre habrá alguien más listo que tú.
(Aun) a sabiendas de que, y esto que and si bien demand indicative. A pesar de que is usually in indicative.
- a) The reduplicative clauses follow this pattern:
| Verbo en subjuntivo + | (preposición) + | quien | + mismo verbo |
| el que | |||
| lo que | |||
| donde | |||
| cuando |
This reduplicative pattern uses the same verb in subjunctive twice. It has aconcessive value and means no importa.
No abras venga quien venga. (= No matter who comes; don’t open the door.)
Pase lo que pase, recuerda cuál es tu obligación. (= No matter what happens, remember your obligation.)
The present subjunctive refers to something present or future. The imperfect subjunctive refers to the past.
Dijera lo que dijera, era para engañarte. (Past)
Diga lo que diga, no le hagas caso. (Future)
This idea may be indicated with pronouns followed by subjunctive.
| Dondequiera que formal | + subjunctive |
| Cualquiera / cualesquiera que formal | |
| Quienquiera / quienesquiera que formal | |
| Comoquiera que formal |
Dondequiera que vayas te seguiré. (= Wherever you go I will follow.)
Cualquiera que venga a la fiesta será bien recibido. (= Whoever comes to the party will be welcome.)
Quienquiera que se case contigo deberá tener mucha paciencia.
- The reduplicative disjunctive clauses introduced by the links: o, que… o que, ya… ya formal and bien… bien formal have concessive value. If the verb is the same in the two clausesthe second one may be omitted.
Cantes o bailes harás el ridículo.
Estés o no (estés) de acuerdo, harás lo que yo te diga.