Spanish Subjunctive: When to Use It (Triggers + Practice)

The Spanish subjunctive (el subjuntivo, or modo subjuntivo) is a mood, not a tense. The indicative presents an action as a fact; the subjunctive presents it as something someone wants, doubts, feels something about or judges, or as something that hasn't happened yet. It usually appears in a dependent clause after que, when the main clause expresses a wish, an emotion, a doubt or an opinion. Compare Sé que vienes. (I know you're coming: a fact) with Quiero que vengas. (I want you to come: a wish). English has a subjunctive too, but you rarely notice it: "if I were you," "I suggest that he be on time." In Spanish it shows up in almost every conversation, which is why it feels like the big hurdle for English speakers.

In everyday Spanish there are four subjunctive tenses: the present (presente), the present perfect (pretérito perfecto), the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) and the past perfect (pluscuamperfecto). They all share the same triggers, so the real question isn't which form to use but when to use the subjunctive in Spanish at all. This page answers it step by step: subjunctive vs indicative side by side, the six WEIRDO triggers, lists of expressions that take the subjunctive and the ones that don't, conjunctions, relative clauses, a quiz, a cheat sheet of the present subjunctive forms, the sequence of tenses and the most common mistakes.

On this page:

• Subjunctive vs indicative: what's the difference;
• when to use the subjunctive: the 6 WEIRDO triggers;
• list of expressions with the subjunctive and with the indicative;
• conjunctions: cuando, para que, aunque and more;
• unknown or nonexistent people and things;
• practice quiz: indicative or subjunctive?
• how to form the present subjunctive;
• the four subjunctive tenses and the sequence of tenses;
• common mistakes.

Spanish subjunctive vs indicative: what's the difference

The indicative (indicativo) is the mood of reality: what you know, what you believe is true, what you state. The subjunctive (subjuntivo) is the mood of everything else: what is unreal or unknown, what someone wants, what you judge or react to, and what is still in the future and hasn't happened yet. The same verb switches mood as soon as the speaker's attitude changes. Here are six pairs of Spanish subjunctive examples next to their indicative counterparts:

Look at rows 4 and 5: the English translations use the same verb form in both columns ("when I get home," "that has a terrace"), but Spanish switches mood. That's why translating word for word doesn't help here. Instead of asking "what would English say?", ask "is this a fact I'm stating, or not?"

The golden rule. A typical subjunctive sentence has three ingredients:

1. Two clauses joined by que (or by a conjunction such as para que or cuando). The subjunctive goes in the second one, the dependent clause.
2. A different subject in each clause: yo quiero + tú vienes → Quiero que vengas.
3. A trigger in the main clause: a verb or expression of wishing, emotion, doubt or judgment.

If there is only one subject, use the infinitive instead: Quiero viajar. (I want to travel.) / Quiero que viajes. (I want you to travel.); Espero llegar pronto. (I hope to arrive soon.) / Espero que llegues pronto. (I hope you arrive soon.) English makes a similar switch, from "I want to" to "I want you to." In Spanish, "I want you to..." is always quiero que + subjunctive.

When to use the subjunctive in Spanish: the 6 WEIRDO triggers

Most high school and college Spanish courses in the US teach the Spanish subjunctive triggers with the acronym WEIRDO. Each letter stands for a type of main clause that sets off the subjunctive in the clause after que: Wishes, Emotions, Impersonal expressions, Recommendations, Doubt and denial, and Ojalá. What the six have in common: the speaker isn't reporting a fact but reacting to an idea, pushing someone to act or questioning whether something is true.

Ojalá comes from Arabic and originally meant "if God wills." It's the only WEIRDO trigger that isn't built on a verb, and it always takes the subjunctive, with or without que. Two triggers need a closer look:

• decir que has two meanings. When it reports information, use the indicative: Dice que está cansada. (She says she's tired.) When it passes on an order, use the subjunctive: Dice que la llames. (She says to call her.) English draws the same line: "she says she is" vs "she says to."
• quizás / tal vez / probablemente (maybe, perhaps, probably) can take either mood. The subjunctive sounds more doubtful: Quizás venga mañana. (Maybe he'll come tomorrow, but I'm not counting on it.) vs Quizás viene mañana. (Maybe he's coming tomorrow; it's quite likely.) Quizá without the -s is just as correct. After a lo mejor (maybe), use only the indicative: A lo mejor viene mañana. (Maybe he's coming tomorrow.)

WEIRDO is a great starting point, but it doesn't cover two big groups of triggers: conjunctions such as para que and cuando (see conjunctions with the subjunctive), and descriptions of people or things you don't know exist (see unknown or nonexistent people and things). Both are explained below.

List of expressions that take the subjunctive (and the indicative)

Here are the expressions you'll use most often, grouped by meaning, followed by the ones that look similar but take the indicative. Learn them in pairs: it's easier to remember es posible que + subjunctive next to es verdad que + indicative than to memorize each one on its own.

Expressions that take the subjunctive

Expressions with the indicative that are easy to confuse

Negation flips the choice. Creo que es becomes no creo que sea: once you deny the belief, it's no longer a fact you're stating. In the same way, no es verdad que takes the subjunctive, even though es verdad que takes the indicative. It works the other way too: no dudo que (I don't doubt that) means you're sure, so it usually takes the indicative. In questions, both moods are possible: ¿Crees que es verdad? (Do you think it's true?) is a neutral question, while ¿Crees que sea verdad? (Do you think it could really be true?) shows more doubt.

Conjunctions with the subjunctive: cuando, para que, aunque...

Conjunctions are the second big group of triggers. Some of them always take the subjunctive. Others, mostly conjunctions of time, depend on the meaning: they take the indicative for facts, habits and the past, and the subjunctive for the future and for hypotheses. This is where English speakers slip most often, because English uses the present tense in both cases: "when I have time" can be cuando tengo tiempo or cuando tenga tiempo, depending on whether you mean "whenever" or "at some point in the future."

The rule: if the action in the clause hasn't happened yet because it's in the future, use the subjunctive. If it's a habit or something that already happened, use the indicative. The main clause usually gives it away: a future (te llamaré) or a command (espera) there points to the subjunctive after the conjunction.

Conjunctions that always take the subjunctive

These conjunctions always introduce something that hasn't happened yet, might not happen or doesn't happen at all (sin que), so the subjunctive is automatic after them: para que (so that), antes de que (before), sin que (without), a menos que (unless), a no ser que (unless), con tal de que (provided that) and en caso de que (in case).

• Te lo explico para que lo entiendas. (I'll explain it to you so that you understand it.)
• Llámame antes de que salgas. (Call me before you leave.)
• Salió sin que nadie lo viera. (He left without anyone seeing him.) Here viera is the imperfect subjunctive because the main verb is in the past; see the sequence of tenses.
• Te ayudo con tal de que me invites a cenar. (I'll help you, provided that you buy me dinner.)

After porque (because), when you give a reason, use the indicative: Estudio porque quiero vivir en España. (I study because I want to live in Spain.)

If both clauses have the same subject, drop que and use the infinitive after para, antes de or sin: Estudio para aprobar. (I study to pass.)

The subjunctive with unknown or nonexistent people and things

When a clause with que describes a noun (a relative clause), the mood depends on whether that person or thing is real and known to you. If it definitely exists and you know which one you mean, use the indicative. If you're looking for any one that fits, don't know whether one exists, or deny that it exists (nadie, nada, ningún), use the subjunctive. Textbooks call the noun the antecedent, so you may see this rule as "the subjunctive with an unknown antecedent." English often marks the same difference with "the" vs "a" or with "any"; Spanish marks it with the verb.

The same goes for lo que, donde and como: Haz lo que quieras. (Do whatever you want.) vs Hago lo que quiero. (I do what I want.)

Spanish subjunctive practice: indicative or subjunctive?

Time to check what you've learned. The quiz gives you 10 real-life sentences with a blank: choose the indicative or the subjunctive form of the verb, and after each answer you'll see the rule that decides it. Every new round picks sentences you haven't seen yet, so you can keep going until the triggers feel automatic.

How to form the present subjunctive in Spanish

Most subjunctive sentences you'll say use the present subjunctive (presente de subjuntivo), and it's easier to form than it looks. Many US teachers sum it up as "go to yo, drop the -o, add the opposite vowel": take the yo form of the present indicative, remove the -o and add the "opposite" vowel. Verbs ending in -ar get endings with e, and verbs ending in -er and -ir get endings with a: hablo → hable, como → coma, vivo → viva. This section is a cheat sheet; the full rules and more irregular verbs are in the present subjunctive guide.

Regular verbs

An irregular yo form carries over to the subjunctive

The "go to yo" rule is what makes many irregular verbs predictable in the subjunctive: whatever happens in the yo form of the present (tengo, hago, conozco) shows up in all six subjunctive forms.

Six irregular verbs (DISHES)

Six verbs don't follow the "go to yo" rule at all, because their yo forms don't end in a plain -o (doy, voy, soy, he, estoy, sé). American teachers group them with the acronym DISHES: Dar, Ir, Ser, Haber, Estar, Saber. Watch the accents: dé has one to tell it apart from the preposition de (of), and esté, estés, estén are stressed on the last syllable.

Three more patterns cover almost every other verb you'll meet:

• Spelling changes keep the sound (-car → -que, -gar → -gue, -zar → -ce): buscar → busque, llegar → llegue, empezar → empiece, pagar → pague, sacar → saque, jugar → juegue.
• Stem-changing verbs ("boot verbs") change their stem in every form except nosotros and vosotros, just like in the present indicative: pensar → piense, pensemos; poder → pueda, podamos; querer → quiera, queramos; volver → vuelva, volvamos.
• Stem-changing -ir verbs also change in nosotros and vosotros (e → i, o → u): pedir → pida, pidamos; sentir → sienta, sintamos; dormir → duerma, durmamos; morir → muera, muramos.

The full breakdown of irregular forms tense by tense is on the Spanish irregular verbs page. One bonus: once you know the present subjunctive, you already know most commands. Negative commands and the usted, ustedes and nosotros commands use the same forms: No hables. (Don't talk.), Hable usted. (Go ahead and speak, formal.) More on that in the negative commands guide.

The four subjunctive tenses and the sequence of tenses

The triggers decide whether you need the subjunctive; time decides which subjunctive tense. There are four in everyday use, and the main verb of the sentence tells you which one to pick. (The RAE counts six subjunctive tenses, but two of them, the future and the future perfect subjunctive, are archaic.)

Subjunctive tenses

Sequence of tenses (concordancia)

The tense of the main verb sets the tense of the subjunctive. A present, future or command in the main clause goes with the present subjunctive; a past or conditional goes with the imperfect subjunctive:

If the action in the subjunctive clause has already happened, use the present perfect subjunctive after a present main verb: Me alegra que hayas venido. (I'm glad you came.)

Conditions with si. The present subjunctive never goes after si (if). Spanish has three main types of si clauses:

• Si tengo tiempo, iré. (If I have time, I'll go.) A real condition: si + present indicative.
• Si tuviera tiempo, iría. (If I had time, I'd go.) An unlikely condition: si + imperfect subjunctive → conditional (condicional simple).
• Si hubiera tenido tiempo, habría ido. (If I had had time, I would have gone.) The unreal past: si + past perfect subjunctive → conditional perfect (condicional compuesto).

The -ra and -se forms (hablara / hablase) are interchangeable. The -ra forms are more common, especially in Latin America, so learn those first. In the polite quisiera (I would like), only the -ra form is used.

The future subjunctive (futuro de subjuntivo: hablare) is archaic. Today you'll only find it in legal texts and old sayings: Adonde fueres, haz lo que vieres. (When in Rome, do as the Romans do.)

Common mistakes with the Spanish subjunctive

These seven mistakes account for most of the subjunctive errors English speakers make. An asterisk (*) marks the incorrect version.

1. *Quiero que vienes. → Quiero que vengas. (I want you to come.) A wish + que + a different subject always takes the subjunctive. English says "I want you to come" with an infinitive, so nothing in the English sentence hints that Spanish needs a special form.
2. *Cuando tendré tiempo, te llamaré. → Cuando tenga tiempo, te llamaré. (When I have time, I'll call you.) After cuando referring to the future, use the present subjunctive, never the future tense. English works the same way: "when I have time," not "when I will have time."
3. *Creo que sea verdad. → Creo que es verdad. (I think it's true.) Affirmative creo que states your opinion, so it takes the indicative. This is a typical overcorrection once learners discover the subjunctive.
4. *No creo que es verdad. → No creo que sea verdad. (I don't think it's true.) Denying an opinion takes the subjunctive.
5. *Si tenga tiempo, iré. → Si tengo tiempo, iré. (If I have time, I'll go.) The present subjunctive never goes after si; a real condition takes the present indicative.
6. *Quiero que yo vaya. → Quiero ir. (I want to go.) When both verbs have the same subject, use the infinitive.
7. *Quería que vengas. → Quería que vinieras. (I wanted you to come.) A main verb in the past takes the imperfect subjunctive. In casual Latin American speech you may hear vengas here, but the standard form is vinieras.

How to learn the subjunctive: start with the triggers, not the forms. Learn the WEIRDO categories and the cuando rule first, then the present subjunctive forms (the "go to yo" rule plus the six DISHES verbs), and only then the sequence of tenses. Practice in contrasting pairs and say them out loud: creo que es / no creo que sea, es verdad que tiene / es posible que tenga, cuando llego / cuando llegue. Once the pairs sound natural to you, choosing the mood stops being a calculation and becomes a reflex.

Related: Spanish tenses chart, present subjunctive, imperfect subjunctive, Spanish irregular verbs by tense, Preterite vs Imperfect (with a quiz) and the full Spanish grammar index.