Since there is rarely an equivalent of the subjunctive in English, this grammatical mood can be extremely difficult for English speakers to understand. For this reason, the Yabla Spanish archive contains many lessons that deal with the plethora of scenarios in which the subjunctive is used in Spanish, and this lesson will address one more: the use of the subjunctive to describe either things we hope exist or things that definitely do not.
If we are "looking for," "seeking," "desiring," "needing" or "wanting" something or someone with certain characteristics but are not sure whether or not that person or thing exists, a subjunctive verb form should be utilized in Spanish. Let's see an example from the Yabla Spanish video library:
Por eso es que nosotros por lo regular buscamos trabajos que paguen a la semana,
That is why we usually look for jobs that pay weekly
Caption 35, La Banda Chilanguense El habla de México - Part 3
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On the other hand, if the person or thing does exist, for example, we actually have a job that pays weekly, we should use an indicative verb form, as we see here:
Por eso es que nosotros por lo regular tenemos trabajos que pagan a la semana,
That is why we usually have jobs that pay weekly,
A typical formula for this usage involves some type of "seeking" or "wishing" verb or phrase plus the conjunction que plus a verb conjugated in the subjunctive. Let's look at examples of such "wishful" words and phrases. Note that the personal a is included when what is sought or hoped for is a person:
Wishful Verbs and Phrases:
Querer (a): to want
Buscar (a): to look for
Necesitar (a): to need
Desear (a): to desire/wish for
Querer encontrar (a): to want to find
Esperar encontrar (a): to hope to find
We can see many instances of the aforementioned construction in the video La Doctora Consejos: Subjuntivo y la persona ideal (Doctor Advice: Subjunctive and the Ideal Person). First, let's see an excerpt where the Doctor uses the indicative to describe a person who actually does exist:
Eh... No es tan joven como tú.
Um... She's not as young as you.
Caption 75, El Aula Azul La Doctora Consejos: Subjuntivo y persona ideal
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In contrast, her patient employs the subjunctive in a similar sentence that describes the hypothetical person he seeks:
Es que yo busco a alguien que sea un poco más joven.
It's just that I'm looking for someone who's a bit younger.
Caption 76, El Aula Azul La Doctora Consejos: Subjuntivo y persona ideal
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Note that this subjunctive formula can be frequently found in want ads since their very nature is to seek desired entities. Let's take a look at a couple of examples:
Se buscan cajeros que puedan trabajar el turno de la tarde.
Cashiers wanted who can work the afternoon shift.
Necesitamos a una persona que sea bilingüe.
We need a person who is bilingual.
Verbs that describe nonexistent people or things should also be conjugated in the subjunctive. The formula in this case includes some phrase that indicates nonexistence such as no hay nadie que (there's no one that), no hay nada que (there's nothing that) and no existe... (...doesn't exist) plus the conjunction que plus a verb in the subjunctive. Let's hear these in context:
No hay ninguna experiencia que sea cien por cien mala
There's no experience that's one hundred percent bad
Captions 69-70, Soledad El insomnio - Part 2
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No existe persona en el mundo que rechace una propuesta de Aldo Sirenio.
There isn't a person in this world who refuses an offer from Aldo Sirenio.
Caption 45, Yago 5 La ciudad - Part 8
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yo ya fui allá y no hay nadie que concuerde con la descripción que tenemos.
I already went there, and there isn't anyone who matches the description that we have.
Caption 42, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 2 - Part 3
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Taking this last example, remember that if such a person actually did exist, a similar sentence could be created with the indicative:
yo ya fui allá y hay alguien que concuerda con la descripción que tenemos.
I already went there, and there is someone who matches the description that we have.
That's all for today. We hope that this lesson has clarified the use the Spanish subjunctive to describe things we hope exist or definitely don't... and don't forget to write us with your feedback.
Welcome to the second part of this lesson where we touch on all the different Spanish verb tenses! So... how many tenses in Spanish did we say there were? Sixteen! In the first part, we covered the ten "official" tenses of the indicative mood, which deals more with concrete facts, in addition to some "bonus" (non-official) tenses. Now, we'll move on to the other two Spanish moods: the subjunctive, where we will cover tenses eleven through sixteen of the Spanish verb paradigm, and the imperative. If you didn't already, we definitely recommend checking out Part 1 of this lesson.
While the indicative mood deals with facts, the subjunctive mood in Spanish, in a nutshell, deals with more abstract notions like wishes, desires, emotions, opinions, and more, which require a whole different set of tenses in Spanish. Although it would be impossible to delve too deeply into the multipronged usage of the subjunctive Spanish mood, we will try to illustrate several cases in which you might come across it. Let's get started!
The present subjunctive is the subjunctive equivalent of the simple present tense. Let's take a look at an example from the Yabla Spanish library:
Si queremos que una persona no nos hable de usted, tenemos que pedir a la persona que nos tutee.
If we want a person to not talk to us in an formal way, we have to ask the person to use "tú" with us.
Captions 24-25, Karla e Isabel Tú y Usted
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Note that the reason the subjunctive form is employed here (we can tell it is subjunctive due to its conjugation, hable, which differs from its indicative form, habla) is because the sentence conveys that we want (queremos) for someone not to talk to us in a particular way, which doesn't mean that that person will actually respect our desire. Let's take a look at one more example:
Mejor hablemos de ella.
It's better we talk about her.
Caption 17, NPS No puede ser 1 - El concurso - Part 1
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Here, the word mejor (better) tips us off that the subjunctive form (hablemos instead of hablamos) is in order due to the expression of someone's opinion about what should happen, which doesn't necessarily mean that it will.
The imperfect subjunctive is the past equivalent of the present subjunctive. We see in the following example that the verb hablar has been conjugated in the imperfect subjunctive (habláramos) instead of in the indicative (hablábamos) due to the expression of desire, once again with the verb querer:
No, no te dije que quería hablar con vos, quería que habláramos los dos.
No, I didn't tell you that I wanted to talk to you; I wanted for us to talk, the two [of us].
Caption 46, Muñeca Brava 43 La reunión - Part 6
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Another very common use of the imperfect subjunctive is to talk about hypothetical situations. In this case, the imperfect subjunctive is often incorporated into a "si (if) clause" in conjunction with the conditional tense to communicate that "if" something were the case, then something else "would" happen, as in the following clip:
Eh... Si... ¿hablaríamos?... -Hablara. Hablara ruso, me... vi'... ¿vivía?... Viviría. -Viviría en Rusia.
Um... "Si... ¿hablaríamos" [If... we would speak]? -"Hablara" [I spoke]. "Hablara ruso [I spoke Russian], me... vi'... ¿vivía" [I... I'd li'... I used to live]? "Viviría" [I'd live]. -"Viviría en Rusia" [I'd live in Russia].
Captions 22-25, Clase Aula Azul La segunda condicional - Part 7
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The hypothetical situation the teacher is going for here is: Si hablara ruso, viviría en Rusia (If I spoke Russian, I'd live in Russia). To learn more about this type of construction, we highly recommend the entire series of which this video is a part.
We definitely couldn't come up with any examples of the future subjunctive tense in our Yabla Spanish library because this tense is all but obsolete and is almost never even taught in modern Spanish. For that reason, you may not recognize it due to its different and little-seen conjugations, although you may occasionally come across it in legal documents or literature. We came up with this example:
El que hablare fuerte se echará de lo biblioteca.
Whoever talks loudly will be thrown out of the library.
The future subjunctive could conceivably be used here because the sentence refers to "whoever," rather than known individuals, as well as alluding to a possible future event. However, in modern Spanish, this very same idea would be conveyed with the present subjunctive:
El que hable fuerte se echará de lo biblioteca.
Whoever talks loudly will be thrown out of the library.
The present perfect subjunctive is the equivalent of the present perfect indicative in situations that require the subjunctive, and the verb haber is thus conjugated in its subjunctive form. That said, we'll take this opportunity to mention another case that requires subjunctive: when expressing that something will happen "when" something else happens that hasn't yet, as in the following example:
Cuando se hayan hablado, se van a entender mejor.
When they've talked to each other, they are going to understand each other better.
And, here's an additional example of the present perfect subjunctive from our Spanish video library with different verbs:
Espero que os haya gustado este vídeo sobre esta maravillosa planta y hayáis aprendido algo nuevo.
I hope you've liked this video about this wonderful plant and have learned something new.
Captions 80-81, Fermín La plumeria - Part 1
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The pluperfect subjunctive is the subjunctive equivalent of the pluperfect tense and is also used to talk about hypothetical situations. It is formed with the pluperfect form of haber plus the participle, and, like the imperfect subjunctive, it is often used in conjunction with the conditional or conditional perfect to describe what "would have" happened if something else "had been" done. Let's see an example:
Si yo hubiera hablado con mi jefe antes, habría evitado cualquier malentendido.
If I had spoken with my boss previously, I would have avoided any misunderstanding.
Let's look an additional example of the pluperfect subjunctive tense, which does not include the conditional:
Es como si nunca hubiéramos hablado.
It's as if we had never talked.
Caption 28, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 8 - Part 6
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The Spanish phrase como si (as if) quite often precedes verbs in the pluperfect subjunctive tense.
Like the future subjunctive, the future perfect subjunctive is rarely encountered and might only be employed in literary or legal contexts to talk about what will happen in the future if a hypothetical situation "has not" yet occurred. It involves the future subjunctive form of the verb haber plus the participle, as follows:
Si el demandante todavía no hubiere hablado ante el tribunal para la fecha especificada, se desestimará su caso.
If the plaintiff still hasn't spoken before the court by the specified date, his case will be dismissed.
However, the present perfect subjunctive would take the place of the future perfect subjunctive in order to say this today:
Si el demandante todavía no haya hablado ante el tribunal para la fecha especificada, se desestimará su caso.
If the plaintiff still hasn't spoken before the court by the specified date, his case will be dismissed.
Since different verb conjugations are rarely required in English to talk about emotions, desires, or hypotheticals, the subjunctive mood can initially feel quite confusing for English speakers, and we hope that this lesson has this shed some light on some of the possible subjunctive scenarios in Spanish. For more information about the subjunctive in Spanish, the following link with take you to several additional lessons on different aspects of this topic.
Let's conclude our rundown of all Spanish tenses by talking about the "bonus" tenses in the imperative mood (modo imperativo), which are not included in the official classification of the different tenses in Spanish. Also called commands, these Spanish verb tenses are those that tell someone to do something, and they fall into several categories:
Habla con la gente de laboratorio.
Talk to the people from the lab.
Caption 36, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 1 - Part 11
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A ver. Sebas, mi amor, no le hables así a tu papá.
Let's see. Sebas, my love, don't talk to your dad like that.
Caption 30, La Familia Cheveroni Capítulo 1 - Part 2
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por favor hablá con Andrea; necesito encontrar a mi nieto.
please talk to Andrea; I need to find my grandson.
Caption 59, Muñeca Brava 48 - Soluciones - Part 9
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Hable más despacio.
"Hable más despacio" [Speak more slowly].
Caption 40, Carlos explica El modo imperativo 2: Irregulares, Usted + plurales
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Pues no me hablen de costumbre porque luego en vez de ganar, pierdo.
Well don't talk to me about habits because then instead of earning, I lose.
Caption 7, La Banda Chilanguense El habla de México - Part 3
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Con vosotros o vosotras: Hablad más despacio.
With "vosotros" or "vosotras" ["you" plural informal masculine/feminine]: "Hablad más despacio" [Talk more slowly].
Caption 25, Carlos explica El modo imperativo 1: Tú + vos
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No nos habléis de esa forma.
Don't speak to us in that way.
Hablemos de otra palabra.
Let's talk about another word.
Caption 19, Carlos comenta Confidencial - Jerga típica colombiana
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While we won't get into the norms for conjugating all of these types of commands with -ar, -er, and -ir verbs, we recommend Yabla's four-part video series entitled El modo imperativo (The Imperative Mode), beginning here, which explores this topic.
And that wraps up our lesson on all of the verb tenses in Spanish. We hope you've enjoyed it (and learned a lot)! And don't forget to leave us your suggestions and comments.
In Spanish, many useful expressions are formed by combining two verbs. This type of expression is called a perífrasis verbal (verbal periphrasis) and is formed by combining a conjugated verb with a verb in the infinitive (or a gerund or participle), sometimes with a linking word between the two. A verbal periphrasis helps us to express subtle aspects of a verb's action, for example, its beginning, ending, duration, progression, etc. Let's review some examples:
In one of our videos, Leire, the lead singer of the Spanish pop band, La Oreja de Van Gogh, uses a periphrasis to express the ending of an action with the verb acabar (to finish), the preposition de, and the verb llegar (to arrive):
Acabamos de llegar al hotel.
We just arrived at the hotel.
Caption 3, La Oreja de Van Gogh - Recién llegados a México tras 12 horas de avión...
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Therefore, you can use acabar de + a wide variety of verbs to express the ending of an action. Some examples (for the first person singular) are acabo de comer (I just ate), acabo de salir (I just went out), acabo de decir (I just said), etc.
Similarly, you can combine the verb empezar (to begin), the preposition a, and a verb in the infinitive to express the beginning of an action:
Si nos comemos una seta de éstas,
If we eat one of these mushrooms,
empezamos a ver aquí pitufos de colores
we start to see colorful smurfs here
Captions 47-48, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa
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To express repetition, you can use the verb volver (to go back), the preposition a, and a verb in the infinitive:
Si no te resulta, vuelve a empezar.
If it doesn't work for you, start over.
Caption 37, Alex Sandunga - Déjala
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Ya después me pasé a otra banda en la que...
Later on, I changed to another band in which...
en la que volvimos a hacer covers.
in which we did covers again.
Captions 49-50, Willy - Entrevista
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To express intention, you can use querer (to want) and a verb in the infinitive:
Pero nosotros al decir en tu casa,
But we, in saying at your house,
nosotros queremos decir en la nuestra.
we mean at ours.
Caption 43, La Banda Chilanguense - El habla de México
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The verb estar (to be), the preposition para, and a verb in the infinitive can be used to express intention as well:
No estoy para perder todo el día, ¿me entendiste?
I'm not up for wasting the whole day, do you get it?
Captions 41-42, Yago - 6 Mentiras
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Pues claro, aquí estamos para ayudarte a encontrar
Well of course, we're here to help you find
lo que tú necesitas.
what you need.
Captions 11-12, Raquel y Marisa - Agente del concesionario
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In previous lessons, we explored the use of verbs like deber (to have to, must), tener (to have), and haber (to have) to express duty, necessity, or obligation. These are additional examples of verbal periphrases that sometimes employ prepositions or pronouns such as de or que as a link and other times stand on their own. Plenty more examples of verbal periphrases can be found in the lessons Deber / Deber De + Infinitive, Haber + De + Infinitive: Something You Should Learn, and Imperative Constructions.
To conclude, we'll leave you with one more example that utilizes the verb tener (to have), the preposition que, and the infinitive buscar (to look for):
Tenía que buscarme la vida, ¿sabes?
I had to make a living, you know?
Caption 56, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos
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That's all for today. Thank you for reading this lesson, and don't forget to send us your comments and suggestions.
The literal meaning of ahora sí is "now yes." But the actual meaning of this expression depends a lot on its context. Let's analyze some examples so you can learn more about how ahora sí is used.
In most cases, ahora sí can be translated as "now" or "this time:"
Yo creo que ahora sí vale los dos mil pesos.
I think that this time it is worth the two thousand pesos.
Caption 19, El Ausente - Acto 2
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Notice how the translation in the following examples adds the verb "to do." The word sí (yes) is meant to add a similar emphasis in the Spanish expression:
Ah claro, ahora sí lo entiendo hija, ¡qué torpe soy!
Oh, of course, now I do understand it, girl. How clumsy I am!
Caption 57, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa
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Chicas, ahora sí tenemos que llamar a los chamanes.
Girls, this time we do have to call the shamans.
Caption 9, NPS No puede ser - 1 - El concurso
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Sometimes "finally" is a better translation:
Bueno. Ahora sí. La historia empieza aquí en la iglesia.
OK. Finally. The story begins here at the church.
Captions 31-32, Salvando el planeta Palabra - Llegada
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Ahora sí can be used as an interjection, similarly to the English phrase "all right, then." In this example, Don Albertote uses it to emphasize that he is serious about his threat:
¡La vara eléctrica, ahora sí! -¡Ay, no!
The electric rod, all right, then! -Oh, no!
Caption 17, Kikirikí - Animales
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A common way to threaten someone in Spanish is:
Ahora sí, vas a ver.
All right then, you'll see.
You will also find the phrase ahora sí que. It also means "now" or "this time," and it's commonly used to emphatically express a confirmation:
No pues, ahora sí que nomás se burla de la gente como nosotros.
No, well, this time he's only making fun of people like us.
Caption 29, ¡Tierra, Sí! - Atenco
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As a final cultural note: in Mexico City, chilangos use the phrase ahora sí (que) a lot, as a rather untranslatable pet expression:
Para ahora sí que no agarren la costumbre.
For them not to get the habit [of having us work all day].
Caption 6, La Banda Chilanguense - El habla de México
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Thanks for reading. To see more lessons please click here.
The holidays are always a great opportunity to practice the que + subjunctive construction, which is one of the most common (and shortest) ways to express hope and good wishes in Spanish. This particular construction is very interesting because it involves the omission of the main verb, usually desear ("to wish"), but also querer ("to want"), esperar ("to hope for"), and others followed by the subjunctive. The result of doing this is a short phrase that is practical and meaningful. So, instead of saying deseo que te diviertas ("I wish you have fun") you can simply say ¡que te diviertas! ("[I wish] you have fun") which is more likely what a native speaker would use in a casual conversation.
Since this particular construction is used to express wishes or hopes to someone right on the spot, it makes use of the present tense and the present subjunctive. The main omitted verb desear ("to wish") is in the present tense: yo deseo ("I wish"). Therefore the action that you are wishing to happen must be expressed, after the conjunction que ("that"), in the present subjunctive: te alivies ("you get well"). The condensed resulting phrase is then: ¡Que te alivies! ("[I wish] you get well"), which we may as well just translate as "Get well!" Let's see more examples.
Mexicans use this construction a lot to wish you well while saying goodbye:
Hasta luego, nos vemos y... que se la pasen bien.
See you later, see you and... hope you guys have a good time.
Caption 59, La Banda Chilanguense - El habla de México
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Argentinians also like to use it:
Chau, que le vaya bien, chau.
Bye, have a good day, bye.
Captions 38-39, Muñeca Brava - 9 Engaños
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You can wish someone all sorts of good things using this construction, like to have a good night:
Bueno, yo también me retiro,
Well, I will also retire,
que tengan muy buenas noches. -Buenas noches.
good night to you all. -Good night.
Captions 98-99, Muñeca Brava - 43 La reunión
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Or simply to enjoy something:
Eso es todo, gracias.
That's all, thank you.
Que disfruten de, del folklore de Puerto Rico.
Enjoy the, the folklore of Puerto Rico.
Captions 31-32, Baile Folklórico de Puerto Rico - Los Bailarines
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Or to wish someone a nice Christmas:
¡Que tengas una feliz Navidad!
I wish you (have) a merry Christmas!
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