Subjunctive — Defined

Subjunctive — Defined

The Three Moods

There are three moods in Spanish as well as in English; namely, the indicative, the subjunctive, and the imperative.

Indicative Mood

The indicative mood points out a thing as material or existing either affirmatively or negatively, and is based upon certainties or facts.

Imperative Mood

The imperative mood makes commands.

Subjunctive Mood

The subjunctive mood, which has only limited use in English, is used extensively in Spanish. Its most common use is in substantive clauses introduced by the conjunction que. As the word subjunctive itself suggests (from the Latin for subjoined), the subjunctive always depends upon another verb and denotes, not a fact, but a wish, an uncertainty, an expression of emotion, etc.

In general, the subjunctive is used when the speaker wishes to indicate that, in their opinion, something is either doubtful or impossible; for example, after expressions of doubt, uncertainty, desire, and emotion.