Habla vs Hable

Question

Why is the word "habla" > "hable" in this sentence? "Necesito alguien que hable español. Is there a difference between the words habla and hable and if so, what is it?

Answer 1

Yes there is a difference, both are in the present tense but 'habla' is in the indicative mood and 'hable' is in the subjunctive mood.

You use the indicative mood when the reason of your sentence is to declare things that are true or when you at least want to declare that you believe them to be true.

The subjunctive is for everything else so it is very common, and once you learn to recognize it you'll hear or read it in practically every other sentence you come across.

In your example you can't declare that someone 'speaks' (habla in the indicative mood) because you don't yet know who they are or even if they exist. So you put 'hablar' in the subjunctive mood 'hable'.

The thing that you can declare is that you need them, whoever they may end up being - hence 'necesito' in the indicative.

This really is a very difficult part of Spanish grammar for us non-natives to grasp but the more familiar you become with it the more you will see the logic.

We have the subjunctive mood in English too although it is not as common.

If I were rich, I'd buy a Ferrari.

'Were' is a form of the verb 'to be' in the subjunctive mood. You can't declare that you're rich because you're obviously not, you have no Ferrari, so instead of saying 'If I am rich, I'd buy a Ferrari' which sounds awful, you use 'were', most likely without even thinking about it and that is where we all want to be some day - using the Spanish subjunctive without thinking about it.

Keep up the hard work, you'll get there

Thank you that made it very clear! - mirchu23, Sep 12, 2013

Glad to have helped :). Thanks for your comment. - Kiwi-Girl, Sep 12, 2013

Answer 2

Yes, alguien habla is someone speaks. Alguien habla alemán, pero yo no. Someone speaks German, but not me (or I don't). In this sentence the verb habla is in the indicative mood which expresses what is really happening for sure.

In the sentence Necesito alquien que hable español, You are using the subjunctive mood which is not always translated into English, but in this case would be covered in translation by the modal word "may": I need someone who may (or might) speak Spanish. Subjunctive is used to express a possibility rather than a certainty.

Well done Jubilado, possibility is indeed something often expressed with the subjunctive with such phrases as 'es posible que' etc but at the same time 'facts' and things that are certain can just as easily be expressed using the subjunctive, - Kiwi-Girl, Sep 12, 2013

eg. Me sorprendió que Juana llegara tan temprano. It's a certifiable fact that Juana did indeed arrive early but the subjunctive is used to express this fact because it's not the important part of the sentence, the important part is the speaker's - Kiwi-Girl, Sep 12, 2013

emotional reaction to this fact. Tricky I know but hopefully we'll all get there in the end. - Kiwi-Girl, Sep 12, 2013

Thanks Jubilado! That was a big help! - mirchu23, Sep 12, 2013