Subjunctive/Indicitive?
I need some help regarding this topic. I have a project to do for Spanish and I have no idea where to begin in regards to the translations.
8 Answers
I'm going to assume you're talking about present subjunctive. Sorry if this gets a little long, but subjunctive is pretty complicated.
First of all... watch this video! There are lots of subjunctive videos to watch on the internet (and maybe I'm biased), but the one here on Spanishdict is great!
So... PART 1: How to make subjunctive forms!
In case you don't know how to make the form, here are the steps to make present subjunctive:
- Make the present tense "yo" form of a verb.
- Drop the "o" and put on the opposite vowel for present tense. If the verb was -ar, give it an "e". If the verb was -er/-ir, give it an "a".
- Conjugate for who you are talking about like you would in present tense. (-s = you, -mos = we, etc)
So.... If I have "hablar" and I want to make the tú form of present subjunctive
(1) hablo (2) habl + e (because it was an -ar) (3) hables
Or.... "comer" and I want to make the nosotros form of present subjunctive
(1) como (2) com + a (3) comamos
There are some irregulars... which are:
ser --> "sea" / ir ---> "vaya" / haber ---> "haya" / saber ---> "sepa"
The only other tricky part is stem-changing verbs. -ar/-er verbs for nosotros/vosotros forms will actually NOT stem-change, while -ir verbs for nosotros/vosotros forms just take the same vowel as their gerund.
pensar ---> piense, piense, piense, pensemos, penséis, piensen
poder --> pueda, puedas, pueda, podamos, podáis, puedan
BUT
dormir --> duerma, duermas, duerma, durmamos, durmáis, duerman
AND
sentir --> sienta, sientas, sienta, sintamos, sintáis, sientan
And now when to use it!
PART 2: Common constructions for subjunctive
In order to use subjunctive, it has to be triggered by something.... like the video says, something in WEIRDO that implies doubt, denial, opinion, emotion, etc.
There are 3 common constructions usually taught when you start learning subjunctive:
Ojalá que [subjunctive sentence]
Like the video says, this can be translated as "I hope" or "If only" or anything that feels close to that.
So, you put "Ojalá que" ...and then you simply insert a subjunctive sentence in!
Indicative sentence: Puedes venir a mi fiesta. (You can come to my party)
Subjunctive sentence: Ojalá que puedas venir a mi fiesta. (I hope you can come to my party.) [venir --> vengas]
Another common construction is...
Subject-1 Indicative-WEIRDO-verb-1 que Subject-2 [subjunctive sentence]
This looks a little tricky set up like that, but it means that when one person wishes, wants, demands, needs (and so on) someone ELSE to do something, you use the subjunctive to describe what it is that the someone ELSE does.
So for example.....
Quiero que limpies el baño. (I want you to clean the bathroom.) [limpiar ---> limpies]
Literally that sentence means "I want that you clean the bathroom", but in English we usually say "I want you to clean the bathroom."
The idea of the subjunctive sentence having a different subject is really important when you consider this:
Quiero limpiar el baño. (I want to clean the bathroom.)
Here, the subject didn't change from the first verb, so the subject has complete control over the second action.... cleaning the bathroom. So.... no doubt, no denial, no wishing... just infinitive.
Here's another example:
Espero que no tengamos que trabajar. (I hope that we don't have to work.) [tener --> tengamos]
The first subject was "I" (who is HOPING!) and the second subject (with its subjunctive verb "tengamos") is "we". I hope something for US, so you use the subjunctive.
The last common construction usually taught at the beginning is this:
Es [OPINION ADJECTIVE] que [subjunctive sentence]
The reason it is important to use an opinion adjective here, is that, without an opinion, you won't trigger subjunctive.
Here are some examples...
Es dudoso que él lea por tres horas cada noche. (It's doubtful that he reads for three hours every night.) [leer --> lea]
Notice how "He reads for three hours every night" (él lee por tres horas cada noche) is a complete sentence on it's own... but when you comment about the situation using "Es dudoso que" (It's doubtful that...), the sentence now has to use the subjunctive verb "lea".
Here's another example:
Es mejor que practiques español todos los días. (It's better that you practice Spanish every day.) [practicar ---> practiques]
Here, "It's better that..." is an opinion about you practicing every day, so you use the subjunctive.
I hope my post helped even a little... subjunctive is such a huge topic so this is really just the tip of the iceberg!
In Spanish the subjunctive is quite common. In English the only example I can think of is when you say "If I were rich" because you are not, only wish or hope for it. Now a days a lot of people say "if I was rich" because that is not subjunctive, but the past tense of the indicative.
Here's the reference articles on the subjunctive and the indicative.
Quiero que hagas mis tareas de matemáticas. Quisiera que recojeras a tu carnalito. Queríamos que fueras presidente de los estados unidos mexicanos.
well nothing in regard to forming sentences...which is what i need help with
What did you learn so far from the teacher in class? It'd help us to know how much you think you understand so we know how much detail to tell you. 
how do you form the subjunctive?
Subjuntivo/Indicativo
