Subjunctive is too confusing!
In learning to use the subjunctive, it is quite helpful if one can first recognize such clauses. The following is a list of clauses commonly associated with the use of the subjunctive:
a menos que ... unless ...
antes (de) que ... before ...
con tal (de) que ... provided that ...
cuando ... when ...
conviene que ... it is advisable that ...
después (de) que ... after ...
and so on.....
The question is: Can we use also the Imperfect or past tense with these listed above???? When I was kid ... Cuando era niña or Cuando sea niña ???
3 Answers
No, subjunctive is not confusing at all. Most books on subjunctive are confusing and ridiculous, because they give you rules that are either almost impossible to memorize (you can't memorize hundreds of rules just to use a mood), or they don't work and you make mistakes.
In learning to use the subjunctive, it is quite helpful if one can first recognize such clauses. The following is a list of clauses commonly associated with the use of the subjunctive:
That's an useless rule in my opinion, because Spanish (like many other languages) has hundreds of phrases like those, and learning which ones uses subjunctive just by memorizing lists is like memorizing the yellow pages. It is like the joke:
Juan: Me he aprendido las páginas amarillas.
Luis: ¡¿De memoria?!
Juan: No, hombre no: razonando.
The joke is that unlike the yellow pages, subjunctive is logical, and people learn it like the yellow pages.
Think of a declaration as something that you inform about what you think, guess, imagine... to be true.
a menos que [vienes?/vengas?] ... unless you come... [Am I declaring you've come? No? Then it is subjunctive]
antes (de) que [vienes?/vengas?] ... before you come [Am I declaring you've come? No? Then it is subjunctive]
con tal (de) que [vienes?/vengas?] ... provided that you come ... [Am I declaring you've come? No? Then it is subjunctive]
cuando [vienes?/vengas?] ... when you come [Have you come? Yes? Then indicative. You haven't? Then subjunctive]
conviene que [vienes?/vengas?]... it is advisable that you come... [Am I declaring you've come? No? Then it is subjunctive]
después (de) que ... after ...
This last one is one of those tricky ones, because to talk about the future it clearly demands subjunctive, but in the past, both moods are possible, but people prefer subjunctie. In any case, you can always used infinitive.
The question is: Can we use also the Imperfect or past tense with these listed above???? When I was kid ... Cuando era niña or Cuando sea niña ???
Cuando sea niña ??? [are you saying you didn't think you were a girl? Then use indicative]
The tense has nothing to do with the choice of mood. The subjunctive is logical, and you are learning it with the Yellow Pages approach. Good luck, there are only 1300 pages of rules for you to learn. No one learns subjunctive using the Yellow Pages approach: not even a native.
I still make mistakes with the subjunctive, but prepositions are far more confusing.
antes (de) que --- (If there is no "que" no subjunctive either... -> infinitive)
cuando ... (If you are not talking about future, it's not subjunctive. --> indicative.)
después (de) que ... (If there is no "que" no subjunctive either... -> infinitive)
etc. etc.
And, when you see a "cuando" in the past, you can't use "Present Subjunctive".
If you have a look at the the conjugation page, you'll see that there are 7 more subjunctives. So, please don't make up rules. You can't learn Spanish by doing that. Habits in the past is a different subject. Normally, it doesn't require a Subjunctive form.
"Cuando era niña...." is correct.
