Grammar guide The rule
Spanish subjunctive: when to use it
The subjunctive is a mood, not a tense. English barely uses it; Spanish needs it whenever the clause after que is wished for, felt about, doubted or not real yet.
When Spanish needs the subjunctive
Look at the main clause: it decides the mood of the clause after que.
- Wishes
- Wanting, asking, advising One person wants someone else to do something: querer que, pedir que, recomendar que. Quiero que vengas. · Te pido que me llames.
- Emotion
- Feelings about a fact Me alegro de que, siento que, me molesta que, when the two clauses have different subjects. Me alegro de que estés aquí.
- Doubt
- Doubt and denial, not certainty No creo que, dudo que and es posible que take the subjunctive; creo que and es verdad que take the indicative. No creo que sea verdad. · Creo que es verdad.
- Not real yet
- Future time, purpose, unknown things Cuando about the future, para que, and a relative clause about something you have not found. Te llamo cuando llegue. · Busco un piso que tenga balcón.
- Past and “if”
- Imperfect subjunctive After a trigger in the past, and in unreal si-clauses: si + imperfect subjunctive, never si + conditional. Quería que vinieras. · Si tuviera dinero, viajaría más.
Typical mistakes on this topic
- Spanish subjunctive after querer que and requests Quiero que vienes a mi casa. Quiero que vengas a mi casa.
- Spanish subjunctive after emotions (me alegro de que) Me alegro de que estás aquí. Me alegro de que estés aquí.
- Spanish subjunctive after doubt: no creo que No creo que es verdad. No creo que sea verdad.
- Spanish subjunctive after cuando and para que Te llamaré cuando llego a casa. Te llamaré cuando llegue a casa.
- Spanish subjunctive in relative clauses Busco un piso que tiene balcón. Busco un piso que tenga balcón.
- Subjunctive vs indicative: creo que + indicative Creo que sea una buena idea. Creo que es una buena idea.
- Imperfect subjunctive: si tuviera, not si tendría Si tendría dinero, viajaría más. Si tuviera dinero, viajaría más.
What YabLab does with this mistake
- Catches it right as you write — comments, email, docs.
- Explains the why in your language, not just the fix.
- Helps you practice it until it is gone for good.
Grammar topics explained
- Ser vs estar: when to use each in Spanish
- Preterite vs imperfect: when to use each in Spanish
- Por vs para: how to choose in Spanish
- Spanish direct object pronouns (lo, la, los, las)
- Spanish accent marks: when to write them
- Saber vs conocer: which “to know” to use
- Stem-changing verbs in Spanish (e→ie, o→ue, e→i)
- Irregular preterite verbs in Spanish