When is the subjunctive used in expression involving time?
I spend a few minutes a day reading over this site's resource pages (for instance the articles on the use of the subjunctive, which are very useful). I remember reading somewhere that expressions involving time may use the subjunctive. For instance, I just read in a recent post: "Antes que la familia tuviera..." . I was wondering if there was a list of expressions that used the subjunctive or if all expressions of time followed by 'que' require the subjunctive.
Thanks in advance!
2 Answers
For instance, I just read in a recent post: "Antes que la familia tuviera..." . I was wondering if there was a list of expressions that used the subjunctive or if all expressions of time followed by 'que' require the subjunctive.
Antes de que, después de que are followed by subjunctive, don't forget the "de".
This list is very useful
Hi puravidacanu
Here is a link to a site that explains the use of the subjunctive in relation to adverbial conjunctions (I believe that these are probably the "expressions" to which you were referring). I would recommend bookmarking this page and keeping it as a handy reference as it really does provide a neat summary of this information. The Subjunctive in Adverbial Clauses
Section III lists and describes the use of subjunctive/indicative in reference to conjunctions of time.
A good follow-up to (and contrast to the information presented by) the article above is provided by the discussion put forth by Lazarus regarding the use of the subjunctive that can be found in the following thread: Subjunctive in Adverbial Clauses
Here are a few links to some (of the better) previous threads on the topic that you might find interesting. 
Does the Subjunctive Always Follow Expressions that have a Que
No Estoy Seguro De Si Esta Frase Sea Correcta
Use of Subjunctive with hacer que, etc
