The Animated Book
of SpanishGrammar Reference

The Spanish Subjunctive

Adapted from The Animated Book of Spanish, an interactive Spanish grammar book.

The subjunctive (el subjuntivo) is a set of verb forms for things that aren't stated as facts: what someone wants, hopes, doubts, or feels. This page covers the present subjunctive, the one you'll use most: how to form it, the irregular verbs, and the most common times you'll need it. For the past, see the past subjunctive.
Present subjunctive of the regular verbs hablar (to speak), comer (to eat), and vivir (to live), with endings highlighted
Subject-AR verbs: hablar-ER verbs: comer-IR verbs: vivir
yohablecomaviva
túhablescomasvivas
él / ella / ustedhablecomaviva
nosotroshablemoscomamosvivamos
vosotroshabléiscomáisviváis
ellos / ellas / ustedeshablencomanvivan
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What is the subjunctive?

Every tense you've learned so far, like hablo, hablé, and hablaré, belongs to the indicative: the forms for stating facts. The subjunctive is a second set of forms for things that aren't facts yet, or aren't presented as facts: what someone wants, hopes, doubts, or feels about something.

Compare these pairs. The sentences on the left state a fact. On the right, the sentences express something wanted or hoped for, so it switches to the subjunctive.

  1. Indicative: a fact
    Sé que vienes.

    I know you’re coming.

    Subjunctive: not a fact
    Quiero que vengas.

    I want you to come.

  2. Indicative: a fact
    Veo que estás bien.

    I see you’re well.

    Subjunctive: not a fact
    Espero que estés bien.

    I hope you’re well.

  3. Indicative: a fact
    Sabe que hablamos español.

    She knows we speak Spanish.

    Subjunctive: not a fact
    Le gusta que hablemos español.

    She likes that we speak Spanish.

Most of the time, the subjunctive comes in sentences with two parts. The first part is a trigger, a verb or expression of wanting, feeling, or doubting. Then comes que, and then the verb in the subjunctive.

How to form the present subjunctive

The present subjunctive is built from the yo form of the present tense. Take the yo form, drop the ‑o, and add the subjunctive ending: ‑e for ‑ar verbs, and ‑a for ‑er and ‑ir verbs.

The present subjunctive is built from the present-tense yo form: hablo becomes hable, como becomes coma, vivo becomes viva
VerbPresent (yo)Subjunctive
hablarhablohable
comercomocoma
vivirvivoviva

For regular verbs, there are no surprises: the stem is the same one you'd get from the infinitive. The only new part is the ending.

Here's the swap in action:

  1. Present
    Tú hablas español.

    You speak Spanish.

    Subjunctive
    Quiero que hables español.

    I want you to speak Spanish.

  2. Present
    Ellos comen bien.

    They eat well.

    Subjunctive
    Espero que coman bien.

    I hope they eat well.

  3. Present
    Nosotros vivimos cerca.

    We live nearby.

    Subjunctive
    Es mejor que vivamos cerca.

    It’s better for us to live nearby.

So why start from the yo form instead of the infinitive? Because when a verb has an irregular yo form in the present, like the yo-go verbs, that irregularity carries into every form of the subjunctive.

Verbs with an irregular yo form keep it in the present subjunctive
VerbPresent (yo)Subjunctive
tenertengotenga
hacerhagohaga
ponerpongoponga
salirsalgosalga
venirvengovenga
decirdigodiga
traertraigotraiga
oíroigooiga
conocerconozcoconozca
verveovea

The irregular part shows up in all six forms, not just yo:

Present subjunctive of tener (to have)
yotenga
nosotrostengamos
tútengas
vosotrostengáis
él / ella / ustedtenga
ellos / ellas / ustedestengan

Tengo → tenga. The g from the yo form is in every form.

  • Espero que tengas un buen día.

    I hope you have a good day.

  • Mis padres quieren que hagamos la cena.

    My parents want us to make dinner.

  • Quiero que conozcan a mi familia.

    I want you all to meet my family.

Stem-changing verbs

Boot verbs keep the same boot in the subjunctive. Just like in the present, nosotros and vosotros go back to the regular stem: queramos, not quieramos.

‑ir boot verbs have one extra twist: nosotros and vosotros change too, but only to i or u.

Present subjunctive of querer (e → ie)
yoquiera
nosotrosqueramos
túquieras
vosotrosqueráis
él / ella / ustedquiera
ellos / ellas / ustedesquieran

The shaded forms make a boot shape. Those are the ones where the stem changes.

  • Espero que puedas venir.

    I hope you can come.

  • No quiero que pierdan el tren.

    I don’t want them to miss the train.

  • ¿Quieres que pidamos algo de comer?

    Do you want us to order something to eat?

Spelling-change verbs

The ‑ar endings start with e, so verbs ending in ‑car, ‑gar, and ‑zar change a letter to keep their sound. These are the same changes as in the yo form of the preterite, but here they happen in every form.

c to q u

Verbs ending in ‑car. Before e, c becomes qu to keep the k sound.

  • busquebuscar · to look for
  • saquesacar · to take out
  • toquetocar · to touch, play

  • No quiero que toques nada.

    I don’t want you to touch anything.

  • Es mejor que saquemos las entradas hoy.

    It’s better if we get the tickets today.

g to g u

Verbs ending in ‑gar. A silent u keeps the g hard.

  • lleguellegar · to arrive
  • paguepagar · to pay
  • jueguejugar · to play

  • Espero que lleguen a tiempo.

    I hope they arrive on time.

  • Prefiero que pague ella.

    I’d rather she pay.

z to c

Verbs ending in ‑zar. Spanish almost never writes z before e, so it becomes c.

  • empieceempezar · to start
  • almuercealmorzar · to have lunch
  • organiceorganizar · to organize

  • ¿Quieres que empecemos?

    Do you want us to start?

  • Ojalá organicen otra fiesta.

    I hope they throw another party.

The six irregular verbs

Only six verbs don't follow the yo-form rule. Their yo forms don't end in ‑o, so there's nothing to drop.

The six irregular verbs in the present subjunctive, with their present-tense yo forms
VerbPresent (yo)Subjunctive
dardoydé
irvoyvaya
sersoysea
haberhehaya
estarestoyesté
sabersésepa

Four of them have a stem you just have to learn. After that, they take the regular ‑a endings.

Present subjunctive of ser (to be)
yosea
nosotrosseamos
túseas
vosotrosseáis
él / ella / ustedsea
ellos / ellas / ustedessean

  • Espero que sea verdad.

    I hope it’s true.

  • Es mejor que vayamos en tren.

    It’s better if we go by train.

  • No creo que lo sepan.

    I don’t think they know.

The other two, estar and dar, take the regular ‑e endings. The added accents make them irregular.

Present subjunctive of estar (to be)
yoesté
nosotrosestemos
túestés
vosotrosestéis
él / ella / ustedesté
ellos / ellas / ustedesestén

Every form has an accent except estemos.

  • Me alegro de que estés aquí.

    I’m glad you’re here.

  • Es importante que estemos a tiempo.

    It’s important that we’re on time.

  • Quiero que me den una respuesta hoy.

    I want them to give me an answer today.

When to use the subjunctive

The subjunctive almost always comes after que. Whether you need it depends on what comes before que: the trigger. These are the most common ones.

  1. Wanting something from someone

    • querer que
    • preferir que
    • necesitar que

    • Quiero que vengas a la fiesta.

      I want you to come to the party.

    • Preferimos que no fumen aquí.

      We’d rather you didn’t smoke here.

    • Mi jefe necesita que termine esto hoy.

      My boss needs me to finish this today.

  2. Hopes and wishes

    • esperar que
    • ojalá

    • Espero que te guste.

      I hope you like it.

    • Ojalá haga buen tiempo mañana.

      I hope the weather’s nice tomorrow.

    • Esperamos que estén bien.

      We hope they’re well.

  3. Requests and advice

    • pedir que
    • recomendar que
    • sugerir que

    • Te pido que me escuches.

      I’m asking you to listen to me.

    • Les recomiendo que prueben el flan.

      I recommend you all try the flan.

    • El médico me sugiere que camine más.

      The doctor suggests I walk more.

  4. Feelings about something

    • alegrarse de que
    • sentir que
    • molestar que

    • Me alegro de que estés mejor.

      I’m glad you’re feeling better.

    • Siento que no puedas venir.

      I’m sorry you can’t come.

    • A mis padres les molesta que lleguemos tarde.

      It bothers my parents when we get home late.

  5. Doubt and denial

    • dudar que
    • no creer que
    • no es verdad que

    When you’re sure, use the indicative. When you doubt it, use the subjunctive.

    1. Sure
      Creo que es verdad.

      I think it’s true.

      Not sure
      No creo que sea verdad.

      I don’t think it’s true.

    2. Sure
      Estoy seguro de que viene.

      I’m sure he’s coming.

      Not sure
      Dudo que venga.

      I doubt he’s coming.

    3. Sure
      Es verdad que tienen razón.

      It’s true that they’re right.

      Not sure
      No es verdad que tengan razón.

      It’s not true that they’re right.

  6. Impersonal expressions

    • es importante que
    • es mejor que
    • es necesario que
    • es posible que

    A general judgment about what someone does.

    • Es necesario que firmen aquí.

      You all need to sign here.

    • Es mejor que vayamos en taxi.

      It’s better if we take a taxi.

    • Es posible que llueva esta tarde.

      It might rain this afternoon.

These are just the most common triggers. For the full list, including conjunctions like para que and time words like cuando, see subjunctive triggers.

One subject or two?

The subjunctive needs a change of subject: one person wants, hopes, or feels something about what someone else does. When it's the same person, use the infinitive, with no que.

  1. Same subject
    Quiero ir.

    I want to go.

    Different subject
    Quiero que vayas.

    I want you to go.

  2. Same subject
    Espero ganar.

    I hope to win.

    Different subject
    Espero que ganemos.

    I hope we win.

  3. Same subject
    Prefieren quedarse en casa.

    They’d rather stay home.

    Different subject
    Prefieren que nos quedemos en casa.

    They’d rather we stayed home.

  4. Same subject
    Es importante dormir bien.

    It’s important to sleep well.

    Different subject
    Es importante que duermas bien.

    It’s important that you sleep well.

Impersonal expressions work the same way. With an infinitive, they're about people in general. With que and the subjunctive, they're about someone in particular.

Common mistakes English speakers make

  1. Translating “I want you to…” word for word

    Incorrect:Quiero tú venir.
    Correct:Quiero que vengas.

    Spanish can't say “want you to.” Use que + the subjunctive. You can drop the tú, since the ending already shows who.

  2. Using que with only one subject

    Incorrect:Quiero que yo vaya.
    Correct:Quiero ir.

    When the person who wants something is the one who does it (i.e. there's no change of subject), use the infinitive.

  3. Using the present after a trigger

    Incorrect:Espero que te gusta.
    Correct:Espero que te guste.

    After esperar que, the verb is something you hope for, not a fact, so it needs the subjunctive.

  4. Using the subjunctive after creo que

    Incorrect:Creo que sea verdad.
    Correct:Creo que es verdad.

    Creer que and pensar que state what you believe, so they take the indicative. They only take the subjunctive when negative: No creo que sea verdad.

  5. Building from the infinitive instead of the yo form

    Incorrect:Quiero que hacas la tarea.
    Correct:Quiero que hagas la tarea.

    Start from the yo form: hago → hag‑ → hagas.

Questions about the subjunctive

What is the subjunctive in Spanish?

A set of verb forms (a "mood") for things that aren't stated as facts: wishes, hopes, doubts, feelings, and what someone wants someone else to do. Hablas español states a fact ("You speak Spanish"), while Quiero que hables español is about something wanted ("I want you to speak Spanish").

How do you form the present subjunctive?

Take the yo form of the present tense, drop the -o, and add the "opposite" endings: -e endings for -ar verbs (hable), and -a endings for -er and -ir verbs (coma, viva). Only six verbs don't work this way: dar, ir, ser, haber, estar, and saber.

What are the irregular verbs in the present subjunctive?

Six verbs are fully irregular: dé (dar), vaya (ir), sea (ser), haya (haber), esté (estar), and sepa (saber). They're often remembered as DISHES. Other verbs that look irregular, like tenga or haga, are just carrying over their irregular yo form.

Does English have a subjunctive?

Yes, but it's rare. "If I were you" and "I suggest that he be on time" both use it. In Spanish, the subjunctive comes up in everyday conversation, so it's not something you can avoid the way you can in English.

Next upSubjunctive triggersThe full list: WEIRDO verbs, para que and other conjunctions, cuando, aunque, and more.

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