Subjunctive mood
I just recently started learning about the subjuntive, so far I have only used the indicative. It seems like the subjunctive is used in a ton of situations, anything that expresses doubt, uncertainty subjectivity etc. It seems like this would be used very frequently but I havent seen it much yet in seeing people type or speak spanish. Is this just me not having experienced enough yet, or its not always used when it should be?
Thanks everyone for the answers and encouragement
6 Answers
Hi there 
You're right the subjunctive is used all the time in Spanish.
It's a major thing to master but just trying to put it in a nutshell you'll usually use it in a dependent clause to let the listener/reader know that you're not stating something as a fact but instead you're expressing your desire that it be that way, your hope, to be courteous, to express your feeling that a certain state is doubtful, unlikely, when you want to give your subjective opinion about something, if you're talking about an action or state that hasn't happened yet but is anticipated, it you are talking about something that either doesn't exist or you're not sure if it does and with some 'if' clauses.
This is a very basic overview and there's much more to be said on the subject but as you can see it's a biggie, only exposure and practice will help you really master this subject.
All the best
As Rabbit and Kiwi say: It's there but you just don't notice it yet...because of your inexperienced ear.
I freaked out when I learned that I had to study the subjunctive "What after A L L that time learning the indicative you want me to change it?!"
However, I just went along my merry way looking at the subjunctive occasionally and then listening for it. I heard it, heard how and when it was used, and then miraculously I, too, started to use it....and correctly!
Just relax. Learn the rules so that when you hear it you'll understand why someone decided (or just naturally) used the subjunctive mood.
¡buena suerte, amigo!
It's used and you don't notice it, but it's not used a whole bunch, and it's not always used when something expresses doubt and it doesn't always indicate doubt.
You'll learn the individual rules as you go a long. .and apparently eventually we'll get a sense of when to use it. But there is no general rule of thumb that will tell you you should use it. WEIRDO helps a bit but there are so many exceptions and little things to learn within that.
I had about the same experience as Mariana.
For a long time, when I saw a subjunctive form, for example, "pueda", I would recognize its meaning and not notice that "poder" is an "-er" verb, and I shouldn't have expected an "-a" ending...
Only after I really, firmly, learned my common verbs, was I able to feel the subjunctive conjugations as being different from indicative mood. And then practice, practice, practice.
A child learns English the same way, which is why he doesn't yet feel what's wrong with "If I was taller, I could reach the top shelf." Later, the child learns to get used to saying "were" here. If he needs practice to get that, don't feel bad that you'll need some practice, too.
Read all of the posts linked here
Hablar español y analizarlo no son lo mismo. Todas las “reglas” gramaticales solo sirven para destacar las pautas de expresión y comunicación que sean consideradas correctas. Claro las reglas nos pueden ayudar a mejorar nuestros habilidades de ánalasis de textos. Pero no son las “reglas” explicitas que nos dan la habilidad de comunicarnos bien sino las pautas, pautas que ya se hallan disponibles en el habla popular. A mi juicio, el mejor sistema de aprendizaje (en cuanto a la habilidad de comunicar efectivamente en otro lenguaje) proviene no de la simple memorización de las “reglas” sino del entrenamiento del oído.
