Grammar

Question

The other day I saw an ad in a magazine.
It had the phrase "Las que necesitEs" I can't find this conjugation anywhere.
iam told by natives that it is correct though.
Thanks Ian

Answer 1

One of the uses of the subjunctive is to randomize what would otherwise be construed as specific by the indicative. For example, if you are looking for a person, and specific person, who speaks Spanish for instance, you would say: Estoy buscando a una persona que habla inglés. Here you are referring to a specific person. However, if you want you want is any random person who speaks Spanish, you would say: Estoy buscando a una persona que hable español. Funny enough, in English they could both be translated the same: I'm looking for someone who speaks Spanish. Interestingly, when people wish to assert the subjunctive meaning, they'll often say: I'm looking for somebody...anybody, who speaks Spanish.

By the same token, the subjuctive lends itself to any randomizing construction, for instance lo que. With this construction the subjunctive effectively translates whatever: Pídeme lo que quieras! Ask me for whatever you (may) want. Te daré lo que necesites. I'll give you whatever you need. No importa lo que sea! It doesn't matter what(ever) it is!

Note that lo is only used in the singular; in the plural los and las are used regularly. So your original question, las que necesites, means Whatever (ones) you need, or even However many you may need.

Answer 2

Ella said:

I have been trying to understand subjunctive a bit better. They say it isn't used to talk about facts. I've noticed it's used when you want to make wishes and you may say Que tengas suerte, que estes bien or when you talk about your hopes related to what may happen for example Espero que llegue pronto, o no? I'd want to know more situations where we can use subjunctive.

Subjunctive can also be used to talk about facts. In those sentences you mentioned, there is always an implicit verb:

(Espero) que tengas suerte.
(Espero) que estés bien.

Subjunctive is used when you don't want to (or can't) declare what you say in the subordinate. This can happen either because you don't know it, you don't think so, it is not real (as far as you can tell), or because it is assumed to be true, and there is no need to declare such information. In the two sentences above, you are not declaring that you are lucky or you are well, but wishing that they become true.

In the original sentence, you cannot declare that there are some whatever that you will need, because you don't know whether the other person will need any, so you use subjunctive. If you say

los que necesitas

you are declaring that there are some specific whatever that you think or know that the other person needs. Here you wouldn't translate it as "whatever", but "the ones (I know / think) you need"

Answer 3

Ian Francis Hill said:

Would the translation be something like "those that you might need" '''?

Yes.

Answer 4

I see no question mark. How about "You may need these."

Answer 5

I have been trying to understand subjunctive a bit better. They say it isn't used to talk about facts. I've noticed it's used when you want to make wishes and you may say Que tengas suerte, que estes bien or when you talk about your hopes related to what may happen for example Espero que llegue pronto, o no?
I'd want to know more situations where we can use subjunctive.

Answer 6

Would the translation be something like "those that you might need" ''''

Answer 7

Muchas gracias

Answer 8

It is correct. It is the 2nd person singular of the present subjunctive of the verb "necesitar".