Indicative vs subjunctive

The indicative states facts. The subjunctive appears when a main clause colours the second clause with wishing, doubt or emotion:

• Sé que está aquí. — I know he is here. (fact → indicative)
• Quiero que esté aquí. — I want him to be here. (wish → subjunctive)
• Dudo que esté aquí. — I doubt he is here. (doubt → subjunctive)

The tell: two clauses, two different subjects, joined by que, with a trigger of wishing / emotion / doubt / necessity in the first clause.

Fact or wish?

Built on the "yo" stem, opposite endings

Take the yo form of the present indicative, drop the -o, and add the "opposite vowel" endings — -ar verbs take e, -er/-ir verbs take a:

Why the yo stem matters: any irregular yo form carries straight through — tener (tengo) → tenga, hacer (hago) → haga, salir (salgo) → salga, conocer (conozco) → conozca, decir (digo) → diga.

Your turn — a regular verb

Six that don't come from "yo"

Six high-frequency verbs have their own subjunctive stems. The mnemonic DISHES — Dar, Ir, Ser, Haber, Estar, Saber:

Note the accents: dé (to distinguish from de) and esté / estés / estén carry a written accent.

Pick the subjunctive

Your turn — an irregular

Match the infinitive to its subjunctive

Tap an infinitive on the left, then its subjunctive (yo/él form) on the right.

Boot verbs in the subjunctive

Stem-changing verbs keep their change in the subjunctive. -ar/-er boot verbs change in the same "boot" (not nosotros/vosotros); crucially, -ir boot verbs also shift in the nosotros/vosotros forms:

-ir boot verbs go further: dormir → durmamos, sentir → sintamos, pedir → pidamos — the nosotros/vosotros forms change too (a weak-vowel shift), unlike in the ordinary present.

Spot the irregular

Your turn — irregular production

The triggers

Reach for the subjunctive after these families of trigger (mnemonic WEIRDO), whenever the subject changes across que:

• Wishes / influence: querer que, esperar que, preferir que, pedir que, aconsejar que, es necesario que.
• Emotion: alegrarse de que, es una pena que, temer que, sentir que.
• Impersonal: es importante que, es posible que, es mejor que.
• Requests / doubt / denial: dudar que, no creer que, no pensar que, negar que.
• Ojalá (+ subjunctive) = "I hope / if only": Ojalá llueva.

Watch the flip: creer / pensar / es verdad que assert a fact → indicative. Negate or question them and the certainty collapses → subjunctive: No creo que sea verdad.

Subjunctive or indicative?

Sort each trigger by the mood it forces in the clause after que.

The certainty trap

One idea, two moods

Flipping the trigger flips the mood — same verb, opposite certainty:

• Creo que tiene razón. → indicative (I believe it, as fact).
• No creo que tenga razón. → subjunctive (doubt).
• Es verdad que viene. → indicative.
• Es posible que venga. → subjunctive (possibility, not fact).

Exam gold: deploying no creo que + subjunctive and es posible que + subjunctive in your essays is a quick, reliable way to show A-Level range.

Your turn — a full clause

Triggers that are conjunctions

Some conjunctions always take the subjunctive; cuando and aunque take it only when the action is future / hypothetical, not habitual fact:

• Always: para que (so that), antes de que (before), sin que (without), a menos que (unless), con tal de que (provided that).
• Future only: Cuando llegues, llámame. (future) vs Cuando llego a casa, ceno. (habitual → indicative).
• Hypothetical: Aunque llueva, saldré. (even if it rains) vs Aunque llueve, salgo. (even though it is raining).

cuando + the future

Your turn — nosotros

An impersonal trigger

Your present-subjunctive toolkit

Cluster 5 takes this further: the perfect, imperfect and pluperfect subjunctive, and the sequence of tenses. Press Finish.