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Please check my subjunctive sentences

Please check my subjunctive sentences

1
vote

I've officially begun the subjunctive using the W.E.I.R.D.O acronym. I'm feeling pretty confident about it right now! (Let's see how long that lasts!)

I've created a sentence for each letter of the acronym. I would appreciate any corrections! grin Gracias


1) Wishes/Wants

Espero que tengan un buen día.

I hope that you all have a good day.


2) Emotions

Estuve feliz que nuestro equipo ganara el partido.

I was happy our team won the game.


3) Impersonal Expressions

Es emocionante que su madre esté embarazada.

It is exciting that your mom is pregnant.


4) Recommendations

Recomiendas que salga a las ocho esta noche (or por la noche?).

You recommend that I leave at 8 tonight.


5) Doubts

Dudo que ella tenga dos coches.

I doubt that she has two cars.


6) Ojalá

Ojalá que fuere un día soleado hoy.

I hope that it will be a sunny day today.


Gracias a todos!

2135 views
updated Aug 12, 2011
posted by SonrisaDelSol

6 Answers

3
votes

Espero que tengan un buen día.

Perfect.

Estuve feliz que nuestro equipo ganara el partido.

It should be "feliz de...", but it sounds a bit strange to me (too literal). I suggest

Me alegré de que...

Me alegró que...

Es emocionante que su madre esté embarazada.

I wouldn't say something like that, but then that's just me; the sentence is fine. Possible alternatives:

¡Qué bien / ilusión que...!

Recomiendas que salga a las ocho esta noche (or por la noche?).

Both are fine.

Dudo que ella tenga dos coches.

That "ella" is suspicious, but then, without a context you can't tell.

Ojalá que fuera un día soleado hoy.

You can't use future subjunctive here. That "que" is optional (I never use it).

updated Aug 11, 2011
edited by lazarus1907
posted by lazarus1907
Why can't you use the future subjunctive there? - SonrisaDelSol, Aug 11, 2011
I thought future subj. wasn't used anymore?????? - dewclaw, Aug 11, 2011
Oh, it's not? ¿Por qué no? - SonrisaDelSol, Aug 11, 2011
But you could have Ojalá que sea un día soleado hoy couldn't you? - Kiwi-Girl, Aug 11, 2011
That's what I had originally, Kiwi, but at the last minute, I changed it to the future subj. I'm thinking I should have kept it that way. - SonrisaDelSol, Aug 11, 2011
3
votes

Why can't you use the future subjunctive there?

Because the future subjunctive is not used like that: it cannot be used in a nominal subordinate; only in conditional and concessive protases, and in certain types of relative subordinates and a few other adverbial constructions.

The use of this tense began to decline in the 14th century, dropping considerably in the 16th and obsolete by the 18th century. It was kept only in old sayings, legal texts and in some scattered regions. Most speakers (except in some parts of the Caribbean) never use this tense, and have no idea how to use it correctly. You can write "wrought thou at thy wish" and people will recognize those thou and thy, but you don't talk like that in a normal conversation. The same happens with the future subjunctive: it has been replaced by the present subjunctive, like "thy" has been replaced by "your".

updated Aug 11, 2011
posted by lazarus1907
Oooookay, thank you! - SonrisaDelSol, Aug 11, 2011
2
votes

I would use the 'yo' pronoun in No 4 'yo salga' if there was no other context otherwise it could be he/she

That's like saying that in every sentence with "you", you better write "you my friend" to avoid the confusion with "you guys". It depends on the context most of the time, and since no context is provided in this type of exercises, you can only guess.

Situation: Mark and I are talking about what I'm doing tonight.

Recomiendas que salga a las ocho esta noche.

Where is the confusion now? There isn't, and here you would not use "yo".

Practising when to drop or use pronouns without having a context, with just an isolated sentence that comes out of the blue, is utterly pointless.

updated Aug 12, 2011
posted by lazarus1907
Is subjunctive used in Spanish more often than in English?It seems so from these sentences? - mia55, Aug 11, 2011
The subjunctive in English isn't used very commonly, but in Spanish, it is very important to know. - SonrisaDelSol, Aug 11, 2011
To know subjunctive is very important in English too , it is very important mood in many languages , but as I have noticed, it is used in many different cases - mia55, Aug 12, 2011
1
vote

I would use the 'yo' pronoun in No 4 'yo salga' if there was no other context otherwise it could be he/she etc smile

updated Aug 11, 2011
posted by Kiwi-Girl
Excelente -- so this is a good example of when you *would* use the subject pronoun :) Jeje, gracias, Kiwi! - SonrisaDelSol, Aug 11, 2011
lol :) - Kiwi-Girl, Aug 11, 2011
1
vote

Estuve feliz que nuestro equipo ganara el partido.

Me alegró que nuestro equipo ganó el partido.

Ojalá que fuere un día soleado hoy

Ojala haga un dia caliente, haga sol, haga calor.

updated Aug 11, 2011
edited by soytommy
posted by soytommy
Gracias por su ayuda - SonrisaDelSol, Aug 11, 2011
De nada. :) Keep up the good working. - soytommy, Aug 11, 2011
1
vote

Recomendaste - recommended (my bad, I read it wrong) Recomiendas is right

Ojalá isn't followed by que.. just subjunctive.(it can be but it's more common to leave it out I think

Ojalá haga sol hoy.

There are some more mistakes but I'd wait for someone better than me to correct them.

Don't get discouraged though, you'll get it.

updated Aug 11, 2011
edited by dewclaw
posted by dewclaw
Gracias, Dew! - SonrisaDelSol, Aug 11, 2011