Should I use subjunctive here?
"Nuestro sueño es un mundo en el que la pobreza no existe/exista." Which is correct?
I am translating the sentence: "Our dream is a world free of poverty" to "Nuestro sueño es un mundo en el que la pobreza no existe."
Should "no existe" be indicative or subjunctive?
Since it is not a current reality, it seems like I should use subjunctive, but it seems like using indicative makes it sound like it can actually be accomplished, whereas it sounds like it will never be anything more than a dream with subjunctive. Could someone help me out here?
Thanks 
Traduzco una frase de "Our dream is a world free of poverty" a "Nuestro sueño es un mundo en el que la pobreza no existe."
¿Debo usar la palabra indicativa "existe", o la forma subjuntiva "exista"? ¿Por qué?
Gracias
8 Answers
Subjuntive, because it's the same as if you were to say "lo que queremos en el futuro para el mundo es que"
Something like that. And you use the subjuntive for desires. Your dreamworld doesn't exist, so use the subjuntive.
"Nuestro sueño es un mundo en el que la pobreza no exista."
"Deseamos vivir en un mundo en el que la pobreza no exista."
If you used the indicative you would be putting life into that world, but it's not a reality, only what you want to be reality.
Using the indicative there would mean that there is in reality a world like that somewhere... or that it's factually in process. (But you've already written that it's a dream/hope of yours)
Let's look at it differently:
With indicative (meaning changes)
Nuestro sueño es un mundo en el que la pobreza no existe (That world factually exist, and I'm referring to Narnia... and we are dreaming about it) - This just sounds odd with "nuestro sueño es"
You also could be talking about your actual dream if you use the indicative there... but that wouldn't make much sense either... because it's like you're saying your actually sleeping dream... literally is a world...... and that just doesn't make sense.
Use the subjuntive there for the world you wish for and the pobreza that you wish didn't exist (it wouldn't exist in that world, but that world doesn't exist either and it possibly may never exist)
Fact: In the real world pobreza exist, but in that world you hope for, it doesn't exist....
Question: So why don't you use the indicative?
Answer: Because that dream world doesn't exist, so that lack of pobreza doesn't exist either, and you're announcing that it doesn't exist and may never exist with your use of the subjuntive. You're saying that it's what you desire, but you're announcing that it's not reality.
Ok, answering Padrin post, then, and in order to make things clearer:
"Our dream is a world free of poverty" translates literally to = Nuestro sueño es un mundo sin pobreza. In other words, nuestro sueño es un mundo en el que la pobreza no existe.
Using subjunctive here conveys a different meaning.
If you say "Quisiera que no existiera la pobreza en el mundo" you are indicating a wish, but here you are stating your dream. It is a fact that poverty not existing is your dream, so I would use indicative: "Nuestro sueño es un mundo en el que la pobreza no existe."
Is your dream that poverty may not exist? Subjunctive. Or is your dream that poverty does not exist? Indicative.
Looking at the posts, it seems that the clarity of the original English sentence has been lost. If a person were recounting a dream (sleep) it wouldn't be "our" since people don't share night-time dreams. Also, the verb would be "was" not "is". Therefore, the reference to a "dream" means an aspiration, ambition, or wish for the future, which can be shared (hence "our") and would be present tense (hence "is"). So, since this is a desire for the future, it would appear the subjunctive would be appropriate (as has been stated by others here).
Crypto-analysis is the activity of looking for complexity where none exists, and it only serves to confuse and frustrate learners.
Hola Cogu,
If I were to say:
"Ojalá que exista un mundo sin probeza" wouldn't this be broadly equivalent to:
"Tengo sueño que exista un mundo sin probeza"
I think the problem is that English speakers are equating:
"I have a dream that..." and "Our dream is that..." and that both of these would be followed by the subjunctive.
Have patience with us as there are more layers to this than an onion!
Nuestro sueño es un mundo en el que la pobreza no existe/exista
Both forms are correct, but they don't express exactly the same.
Do you want to say that your dream is any (whatever) world in which poverty doesn't exist? Use subjunctive. Here, you would settle for any world, providing that poverty doesn't exist.
Do you want to express that you have dreamt of a particular kind of world, a world in which (you are telling us) poverty does not exist? Then, use indicative. Here, one of the features of your dreamt world is that there's no poverty, among others.
The question I would ask you is:
Have you dreamt of a world? Would you like to indicate how that world is to us? --> say la pobreza no existe
Haven't you dreamt of any particular world? you only know that you wish another kind of world, but you don't have a clear idea about it yet, you couldn't picture it, you only know that you don't want poverty on it --> say la pobreza no exista.
Good question, I think that both JC and Avispao are right.
If you mean 'your dream' as in your actual dream that you had last night, then you'd use the indicative (although given the rest of the sentence that doesn't quite work) but if you mean 'your dream' as in 'your aspiration' or 'hope for the future' then you'd use the subjunctive.
Hello. There has been plenty headache over this very specific question... receiving hypotheses and such.
You gave a very clear description of the meaning behind your main clause, and your response should fall (should've fallen) into suit. You will 100% need to use the subjunctive there to express what you let us know you want to express. I'll move forward now and address your thought process in regards to why you would use indicative over subjunctive, the actual reasoning isn't accurate, and it's not why you do need the subjunctive here, but you need it here.
Since it is not a current reality, it seems like I should use subjunctive, but it seems like using indicative makes it sound like it can actually be accomplished, whereas it sounds like it will never be anything more than a dream with subjunctive. Could someone help me out here? Thanks
You are correct. This world isn't currently reality. That world is subordinate to your hope, the world you hope there is in the future (a type of world that doesn't exist anywhere, not even to be emulated.. it's just a figment of hope)
en la que la pobreza no exista
Poverty would not exist in that world, but this lack of poverty is dependent on the existence of that world, which is simply a figment of hope.
You aren't speaking about a world that exist to be emulated, nor a literal dream. So this "lack of poverty" isn't based in reality, and should not use the indicative.
You are correct, the subjunctive makes it seem more like nothing more than a dream, but that's all it is. That doesn't mean it will never happen (although it probably never will) it just means that this lack of poverty doesn't exist, because it's based in a world that doesn't exist.
I hope this helps you.
