Why is this not subjunctive
On Dictionary.Com Spanish word of the day appeared today this phrase using parecer:
Me parece que no va a venir. I don’t think he’s going to come.
Why is "va" not subjunctive. Am I learning anything? It seems to fit the model that va appears in a subordinate clause, is a change of subject from I to he and there is doubt. So why am I still not getting this?
6 Answers
You are correct that the placement of the negative is everything. That is because in "me parece que no va a venir" the speaker's belief is in the affirmative and affirmative opinions call for the indicative. The speaker's affirmative belief could be that something will happen but it could also be an affirmative belief that something won't happen.
In your first example, "me parece que no va a venir", the speaker affirmatively believes that something will not happen. The affirmative belief of the speaker in the independent clause dictates the indicative in the dependent clause.
If the example were "no me parece que vaya a venir," then the speaker's belief in the independent clause is negative and calls for the subjunctive, "vaya," in the dependent clause.
In your other examples, you are correct that if the speaker were to say "no creo que vaya a venir," the speaker's affirmative believe is followed by the subjunctive because the speaker's belief is negative. But, "creo que no va a venir" is indicative because In the latter case the speaker affirmatively believes that the third person won't come.
So, do you see the difference now? Positive belief of the subject of the independent clause, whether the belief is that something will happen or won't happen, is always followed by the indicative in the dependent clause. But, negative belief of the subject of the independent clause, which could also be that something will or won't happen, is always followed by subjunctive in the dependent clause. It is all from the perspective of the subject of the independent clause.
Don't worry! You are getting it because you are thinking about it. Just keep in mind that the rules for the subjunctive are simple and mechanical. It may be ironic, but the speaker's actual intended meaning may be the same in both cases. "I don't believe he will come" may be exactly what the speaker means when the speaker says "I think he won't come". But because the rules for the subjunctive are mechanical, the former requires the subjunctive while the latter calls for the indicative.
I hope this helps.
I see two sentences that express the same thought but are said differently, hence the confusion:
Me parece que no va a venir. = I think / It seems to me that he's not going to come. (indicative)
No me parece que vaya a venir. = I don't think he is going to come. (subjunctive)
Similar to what Marianne said, you use the indicative form for things that you believe will happen. This is also the case when you're positively stating an opinion (Ej: pienso que + indicativo, creo que + indicativo, opino que + indicativo, etc.).
"Me parece que no va a venir" might be like "Creo que no va a venir," which would be indicative because it's something that I believe.
Edit: found this online:
Parece que is always followed by the indicative:
Parece que va a llover.
Parece que tengo alergia.
Parece que estamos perdidos.
The subjunctive mood in Spanish is used after statements of doubt. Thus the subjunctive is used in "dudo que haga frío (I doubt it is cold, where haga is in the subjunctive mood). But statements of opinion — even when the opinion is expressed with less than full certainty — require the indicative mood. Thus one would say "me parece que hace frío" (it seems like it is cold, where hace is in the indicative mood).
I would have understood if it had been in the affirmative:
Me parece que va a venir. I think he is going to come.
I would have recognized that immediately as calling for the indicative because affirmative opinion statements like "creo que" are always followed by the indicative
But statements of opinion in the negative like "no creo que" are always followed by the subjunctive.
So I'm still confused about why:
"Me parece que no va a venir." I don’t think he’s going to come
should not be subjunctive in the same way that "no creo que vaya a venir is subjunctive.
The only difference I can see is that in "no creo que vaya a venir" the negative "no" relates to the verb "appear" in the independent clause vs. "me parece que no va a venir" in which the negative is in the dependent clause and relates to the verb in the dependent clause.
"no creo" Y O U are expressing doubt.
"no va" is a statement (we don't know the validity of), just like if I would say "there is no milk in my glass" (plain statement of fact if I am sitting in front of my empty glass).
"no va" statement of purported fact (my opinion [creo] does not cast doubt), so indicative.
nita did a good job
