What is the subjunctive mood (thanks, jtaniel)?
This is what I know: 1. The subjunctive tense exists 2. The subjunctive tense is at the bottom of the "conjugation" list. 3. Nada más
Can anyone give some examples? (Since I just want to know what this is, you can either put the Spanish translation or not)
3 Answers
The subjunctive mood is very popular when using Spanish. It is used in English but not as often as in Spanish. For example 'If I were you, I would ...' Some people in speech say 'If I was you, I would ..' but though often said it is incorrect.
Here is a link to a lesson. Many people use the subjunctive without realising as in some places it looks the same as the indicative or correct it [incorrectly] to the present tense. Language evolves so in fact in general speech now, except for some set phrases the subjunctive is rare
I don't know if you have a teacher, or are self studying. When learning Spanish you usually learn the imperative/command forms and then start learning the subjunctive. The reason for this is that in some forms, the imperative uses the same conjugation as the subjunctive.
The good news is Spanish people will understand you, if you do not use the subjunctive. It adds layers of subtlety. Once you get used to it, you will start using it The bad news is there are two forms of the imperfect subjunctive. However the one with the root from the 3rd person preterite [ending in ra etc] is more popular than the one ending in se etc.
Start singing any of these songs and you will be using the subjunctive
Good luck with improving your Spanish.
It's the subjunctive mood, not the subjunctive tense. There are many, many fine resources that explain it very, very well. Use the Google. Use the SpanishDict. And when you have specific questions, ask them here.
Here's a link to an article I wrote on the subject along with some answers.
