negative subjunctive?
Is there a difference between how to conjugate with affirmative and negative subjunctive? For an example: Espero que ella sea bonita. AND Espero que ella no sea fea. Is it still SEA no matter if the statement is negative or affirmative?
2 Answers
Is there a difference between how to conjugate with affirmative and negative subjunctive? For an example: Espero que ella sea bonita. AND Espero que ella no sea fea. Is it still SEA no matter if the statement is negative or affirmative?
Yes, in both cases the controlling verb is esperar. So in both cases you are indicating what you hope for, regardless of whether the next is positive or not.
Keep in mind as noted at this post, if you mean expect not hope you can use indicative:
http://spanish.about.com/od/usingparticularverbs/a/esperar.htm
By Gerald Erichsen
Updated December 10, 2014.
Although "to hope for," "to wait" and "to expect" (among others) have different and distinct meanings in English, they can be translated as the same Spanish verb, esperar. Context, sentence structure and whether esperar is followed by a verb in the subjunctive mood are the big clues as to what meaning is intended. Even so, many sentences using the verb may seem ambiguous to English speakers, especially when out of context.
Here are some of the most common ways that esperar is used, with examples:
Esperar que followed by a verb: Esperar que is typically followed by a verb (although the verb may have a subject). If that verb is in the subjunctive mood, esperar can often be understood to mean "hope," while if that verb is in the indicative mood, it usually can be understood to mean "expect." (The distinction between the two isn't always precise, however, so you still need to pay attention to context.)
The use of the indicative mood (va a) in the first sentence suggests some degree of certainty, while the subjunctive mood of the second indicates desire. The use of the subjunctive following esperar que is far more common than not.
Some examples with possible translations:
Espero que no nieve. I hope it doesn't snow.
El presidente espera que no sea necesario incrementar la supervisión de los sistemas financieros. The president hopes it won't be necessary to increase oversight of the financial systems.
Espera que no es fácil. He expects it isn't easy.
Estaba yo en casa y esperaba que lloviera. I was at home and I hoped it would rain.
Esperan que biocombustibles tengan éxito en América Central. They are hoping that biofuels will be successful in Central America.
It should be noted that the use of the subjunctive after que is very common, and that it is not unusual for esperar que to mean "expect" if the context so demands. For example, take this sentence that appeared in Spanish news media: Los ciudadanos no esperan que ETA declare una tregua en los próximos meses. The context of the story made clear that the sentence should be understood to mean "Citizens don't expect (not "hope") that the ETA will declare a truce in the coming months." And a sentence such as "¿Porqué no esperabas que te llamaran?
Note, for example, the difference in meaning between "Espero que va a ganar el torneo," which means "I expect he will win the tournament," and "Espero que ganes el torneo," "I hope you win the tournament.
