Conversational Spanish: Subjunctive for Advanced Learners

Reaching an advanced level of Spanish is not as simple as one might wish. It requires many hours of practice and study, tons of patience, and impeccable levels of consistency and discipline. Even so, this adventure is so wonderful and rewarding that no effort will be in vain.

Some grammatical resources in Spanish are complex; however, to truly earn the title of "advanced student," mastering them is essential. The subjunctive mood can be quite a challenge for many students. If this is your case, don't worry! This verbal mood has always been difficult to master.

Keep reading! Discover how using the advanced subjunctive can make a difference in your conversational skills.

What are verb moods?

To focus on the subjunctive, we must first understand what verb moods are.

In short, these are the different changes that verbs undergo according to their conjugation. In other words, verb moods reflect the communicative purpose, intention, or position of the speaker in relation to what is being said.

In Spanish, there are 3 verb moods: Indicative, Imperative, and Subjunctive.

Subjunctive Mood

The subjunctive is used to express doubt, probability, desires, feelings, or when giving suggestions and advice. Here are some examples: 

To express doubts: 

• No sé si debas venir. (I don't know if you should come.) 

To express feelings/wishes: 

• Espero que comamos pizza hoy. (I hope we eat pizza today.) 

To suggest and advise: 

• Te sugiero que vayas más despacio. (I suggest you go slower.)

Subjunctive Tenses

Let's not confuse verb moods with verb tenses. Verb moods indicate the speaker's attitude towards the action of the verb. On the other hand, verb tenses place the occurrence of an action in a specific time.

We can use the subjunctive with the following verb tenses: Present, Present Perfect, Imperfect, and Pluperfect.

Present

 It is used to express feelings and wishes but also to talk about probabilities and uncertainties both in the present and the future. Example:

• Espero que Julieta mejore su condición física. (I hope Julieta improves her physical condition.)
• Quiero conocer gente que hable español. (I want to meet people who speak Spanish.)

Present Perfect

This tense is used to indicate actions that occurred in the past but are related to the action happening in the main clause. To use it, apply the present subjunctive conjugation of the auxiliary verb ‘haber’ (haya, hayamos, hayas) and add the past participle of the main verb. Example:

• Espero que hayas conseguido el premio. (I hope you have won the prize.)
• Ojalá no hayamos cometido un error. (I hope we haven't made a mistake.)

Imperfect

Mastering this tense is essential to clarify the context of the conversation. It is used to express past actions, possibilities, wishes, doubts, and hypothetical situations. Example:

• Si tuviera dinero, compraría un carro. (If I had money, I would buy a car.)
• Me encantaría que supieras la verdad. (I would love for you to know the truth.) In the previous examples, we use ‘tuviera’ and ‘supieras’ to talk about a hypothetical situation. It does not indicate a reality.

Pluperfect

This tense is used to indicate real actions that took place before another in the past and also to refer to actions that could have happened if other circumstances had not occurred. To use this tense, the auxiliary verb ‘haber’ in the imperfect subjunctive (hubieras, hubiera, hubiéramos, etc.) plus the past participle of the main verb is used. Examples:

• Me dolió que no me hubieras invitado a tu cumpleaños. (It hurt me that you hadn't invited me to your birthday.)
• Si hubiéramos cumplido la dieta, no tendríamos estos kilos de más. (If we had stuck to the diet, we wouldn't have these extra pounds.)

Common Subjunctive Phrases 

Formulating sentences using the subjunctive for advanced learners can be tricky. Fortunately, there are a series of phrases and words that typically accompany this verb mood and that you can use as a guide:

• Es mejor que...
• Ojalá que...
• Tan pronto como...
• Cuando...
• Quiero que...
• A menos que...
• Es probable que...
• Espero que...
• Tal vez...
• Quizás...
• Es difícil que...
• Dudo que...
• Con tal de que...
• Antes de que...
• En cuanto...

Memorizing and practicing these phrases and words will familiarize you with the subjunctive. Additionally, it will help you quickly set the context of the conversation.

General Examples 

Do you already know how to use the subjunctive in conversation? If so, congratulations! And if not, don’t worry. Below, we’ll share some common examples to further reinforce your learning.

• Ojalá supieras lo que siento.
• Espero que hagas lo que te pedí.
• Te sugiero que cambies tu forma de ser.
• Si hubieras hecho caso, todo sería diferente.
• Me gusta que me hayan tenido en cuenta.
• Tal vez no te guste lo que voy a decir.
• Es probable que haya mucha gente en la tienda.
• Ojalá el examen sea fácil.
• Solo espero que mi madre venga para mi cumpleaños.
• No sé si María pueda venir.
• Si no hubieras escrito esa carta, no estaríamos aquí.
• Te aconsejo que dejes el cigarrillo.
• No creo que Daniela tenga tiempo para eso.
• Espero que mi equipo gane el partido.
• Me alegra que hayas venido.
• Si tan solo hubiéramos hablado antes.

Take advantage of this list of sentences that use the advanced subjunctive! It’s your turn to practice. Study these examples and modify them by substituting the subjects, verbs, and context in your own way. You can do it!

In short, the advanced subjunctive is one of the most challenging grammatical resources for Spanish students to master. However, it is essential for properly providing the context of the ongoing conversation and achieving communicative clarity.

Don’t give up on the subjunctive! Study, be patient, practice a lot, and enjoy your process. 

Sooner or later, you’ll master it!