The rule, in plain English
Use the present subjunctive after common A2 triggers that present an action as wanted, recommended, emotionally judged or uncertain: quiero que, espero que, es importante que, me alegra que, dudo que and no creo que. These patterns usually join two clauses with different subjects: Quiero que tú vengas. If one subject performs both actions, use an infinitive instead: Quiero venir. Ojalá normally takes the subjunctive directly; ojalá que is also possible. To form regular present subjunctives, start from the yo present stem, remove -o and use the opposite vowel: -ar verbs take e endings; -er and -ir verbs take a endings.
Why it's hard for English speakers
English often uses an ordinary present form or an infinitive where Spanish marks the speaker's attitude with a different mood. Learners need to notice the trigger, check whether the subject changes, and then form the subjunctive rather than translating one English word at a time.
Regular present subjunctive
| Subject | hablar | comer | vivir |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | hable | coma | viva |
| Tú | hables | comas | vivas |
| Él/Ella | hable | coma | viva |
| Usted | hable | coma | viva |
| Nosotros/as | hablemos | comamos | vivamos |
| Vosotros/as | habléis | comáis | viváis |
| Ellos/Ellas | hablen | coman | vivan |
| Ustedes | hablen | coman | vivan |
Core irregular present subjunctives
| Subject | ser | ir | estar | haber | dar | saber |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | sea | vaya | esté | haya | dé | sepa |
| Tú | seas | vayas | estés | hayas | des | sepas |
| Él/Ella | sea | vaya | esté | haya | dé | sepa |
| Usted | sea | vaya | esté | haya | dé | sepa |
| Nosotros/as | seamos | vayamos | estemos | hayamos | demos | sepamos |
| Vosotros/as | seáis | vayáis | estéis | hayáis | deis | sepáis |
| Ellos/Ellas | sean | vayan | estén | hayan | den | sepan |
| Ustedes | sean | vayan | estén | hayan | den | sepan |
Frequent yo-stem and spelling changes
| Infinitive | Yo present | Subjunctive stem | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| tener | tengo | teng- | que tengas |
| venir | vengo | veng- | que venga |
| hacer | hago | hag- | que hagamos |
| decir | digo | dig- | que digáis |
| poner | pongo | pong- | que pongan |
| salir | salgo | salg- | que salga |
| buscar | busco | busqu- | que busques |
| llegar | llego | llegu- | que lleguemos |
Subject choice: infinitive or que + subjunctive
| Relationship | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| same subject | trigger + infinitive | Quiero viajar. (I want to travel.) |
| different subjects | trigger + que + subjunctive | Quiero que viajes. (I want you to travel.) |
| general evaluation | es + adjective + infinitive | Es importante descansar. |
| evaluation of a stated subject | es + adjective + que + subjunctive | Es importante que descanses. |
| ojalá | ojalá (+ que) + subjunctive | Ojalá haga sol. |
| belief stated as certain | creo que + indicative | Creo que es fácil. |
| belief denied / doubted | no creo que + subjunctive | No creo que sea fácil. |
Example sentence bank
Shuffling examples…
Common mistakes
- Quiero que vienes conmigo.Quiero que vengas conmigo.Querer que plus a different subject triggers the subjunctive.
- Quiero que viajar.Quiero viajar.When the subject stays the same, use the infinitive without que.
- Ojalá (que) hace sol.Ojalá (que) haga sol.Ojalá takes the subjunctive whether or not optional que is present.
- No creo que es caro.No creo que sea caro.No creer que expresses doubt and normally takes the subjunctive.
Practice
Espero que ___ bien.
I want you to speak = Quiero que ___ (hablar, tú).
Ojalá ___ sol mañana.
It's important that you eat = Es importante que ___ (comer, tú).
Quiero que tú ___ conmigo.
We hope she has time = Esperamos que ___ tiempo. (tener)
Choose the same-subject form for ‘I want to leave.’
It is necessary that we study = Es necesario que ___.