The subjunctive (again)
¿Crees que + subjunctive?
This is a bit difficult for me to remember because I was watching a movie in English with Spanish subtitles and a question came up which I had but a nanosecond to read. The question started "¿Crees que sea...'" I apologise but i was too taken aback with the use of the subjunctive here to remember the rest of the question.
Obviously I was expecting the indicative and was wondering if someone could explain the use of the subjunctive and possibly provide a complete question.
14 Answers
Well, this might help you out: when the speaker is asking a question and he/she believes the answer that is opposite to the question he/she uses the subjunctive. An example would probably help. So, say you are asking someone "do you think the soup is good'" and you don't think it is, you would use subjunctive..."crees que la sopa sea buena'" Now, if you do believe that the soup is good and you are asking if the other person thinks it is or not it would be indicative. "Crees que la sopa es buena'"
Hope this helps and does not confuse. 
quick question- is there a translator that can translate spanish into a tense or just a translator that can not just do normal spanish, but translate into tenses.. you know? i really need it. or someone that can make a subjunctive sentence for me!
thanks!
Really, you are better off to learn the language and make the attempt yourself. Machine translators just don't do very well with this sort of thing. I tried a simple sentence on our site's "Translation Page:"
I want him to leave.
Machine Translations:
Quiero que vayan.
Yo lo deseo que salga.
Quisiera que él se fuera.
The first two have obvious mistakes, even though they use the subjunctive mood. The last one's better, but it might not work in all contexts. Again, you are better off to attempt a translation yourself. You are welcome to post your attempt in the proofreading section for corrections. No machine translations allowed there, though!
quick question- is there a translator that can translate spanish into a tense or just a translator that can not just do normal spanish, but translate into tenses.. you know? i really need it. or someone that can make a subjunctive sentence for me!
thanks!
Here is a quote from another forum in a thread about the same question:
[i]¿No crees que...
¿No crees que...
"¿No crees que...
In summary, we could say that using the indicative in questions beginning with "¿No crees que...? makes the sentence a rhetorical question, in which the speaker is actually stating his belief rather than asking for information. Using the subjunctive makes it more of a request for information.
I think the ¿No crees que... is an easier construction to follow than the affirmative ¿Crees que... which is what he was asking about, but the overall logic is the same.
Here is a quote from another forum in a thread about the same question:
*¿No crees que las leyes basadas en la religión sean estúpidas? : El énfasis podría estar puesto en: Esto es lo que otros dicen.¿Tú no lo crees', es decir: ¿No crees esto que dicen los demás?
¿No crees que las leyes basadas en la religión son estúpidas? : El énfasis está puesto en tu propio pensamiento o creencia (aunque no descarta la posición anterior): ¿Es esto lo que piensas tú, es tu propia creencia'*
Here is another good reply:
- "¿No crees que ayer te vi con tus amigas'" (te vi, es un hecho cierto y no discutible. La prgunta es si ¿tú lo crees o no?
- "¿No crees que ayer te viera con tus amigas'" (aquí lo que se discute es si yo te vi o no y el verbo creer, da igual; es una forma de introducir la prgunta)
El uso del indicativo a efectos prácticos es más seco y tajante, al dar el hecho por cierto, ¡como que te vió toda la ciudad!. Y más usado posiblemente en España.
El uso del subjuntivo, puede desplazarse a abrir la duda sobre el hecho en sí: "quizá te viera, pero me confundí y no eras tú..." y es menos tajante y posiblemente, más usado fuera de España.
In summary, we could say that using the indicative in questions beginning with "¿No crees que...? makes the sentence a rhetorical question, in which the speaker is actually stating his belief rather than asking for information. Using the subjunctive makes it more of a request for information.
D.Peters' reply was excellent.
I didn't want your understanding to hinge on what words you used to translate ser as: is vs could be as Natasha suggested.
I wished to make the point as D.Peters did where the sentence was translated equally whether you use the indicative or subjunctive to translate ser.
Do you think that Brack Obama is the AntiCchrist?
indicative- here's a fact. Do you beieve it? yes, no, maybe, uncertain?
You have been making disparaging remarks about the president's policies and past decisions. I reply:
Do you think that Barack Obama is the AntiChrist?
En English I have to use gestures (I hunch my shoulders and place my palms upward) and voice intonation. I am not really asking you whether you think Barack Obama is the AntiChrist as much as expressing my reaction to what you have been saying. I expressing emotion or mood rather than declaring anything. Spanish can do this with verb usage while we can't in English.
I never could have explained it as well as the soup analogy, however. Very well done!
Well, this might help you out: when the speaker is asking a question and he/she believes the answer that is opposite to the question he/she uses the subjunctive. An example would probably help. So, say you are asking someone "do you think the soup is good'" and you don't think it is, you would use subjunctive..."crees que la sopa sea buena'" Now, if you do believe that the soup is good and you are asking if the other person thinks it is or not it would be indicative. "Crees que la sopa es buena'"
Hope this helps and does not confuse.
Thank you, this helps a lot
I simply came across a construction that I hadn't seen before and am just trying to figure out the grammar.
I think however that I just got it.
If I say "¿crees que es Barack Obama el anticristo'" here we are stating that Barack Obama is in fact the anti-christ and asking about whether the other person believes it or not.
With "¿Crees que sea Barack Obama el anticristo'" we are not stating that Barack Obama is the anti-christ merely asking what the person thinks about that possibility.
They seem to mean the same thing but I believe there is a subtle difference that gets lost in the translation to English.
I suppose then that a (loose) translation of the two phrases would be:
1) Barack Obama is the anti-christ. Do YOU believe it?
2) I think that maybe Barack Obama is the anti-christ. What do you think about that possibility'
P.S. Your title would be better for searching later if it included the phrase "crees que sea".
Thanks for bringing that up, because I think that maybe he and I are arguing apples and oranges. I thought that he was saying that he was surprised to see the subjunctive used after ¿Crees que...? no matter what the verb was, Ser or otherwise? Maybe my viewpoint is incorrect.
P.S. Your title would be better for searching later if it included the phrase "crees que sea".
I would translate that as:
"Do you believe that he/she/it COULD BE . . . "
What I don't understand is that in the question ¿crees que..? how can the speaker be making a statement about anything because it is a question. The speaker is asking someone else what they believe and therefore I don't see how the subjunctive works here.
It sounds to me like you are answering your own question. You are saying that no declarations, assertion, statement is being made (because it is a question) which is what the indicative does. If if is not indicative, why can't you see that it can be (doesn't have to be)subjunctive in expressing a feeling or mood rather than making a declaration. If it had exclamation points rather than questions marks would you not say that statement was made to show surprise or incredulity?
Here's a link to your previous inquiry about the subjunctive and Lazarus'reply that I thought was informative. I'd re-read it. I can't give you a clear answer because I still don't understand what your objection to the subjunctive verb was since you didn't think it was an indicative construction. What mood do you think it is? I think it depends on the subordinate clause and nothing can be said about the construction itself.
http://www.spanishdict.com/answers/show/8302/
It would seem to me that any time that the subordinate clause referered to something that was improbable, indefinite, etc. the subjunctive would be used.
I realize that the subjunctive follows no crees que... more than crees que...,but I still don't see what warrants your shock.
I pulled this off a title in Google.
¿Crees que sea barack obama el anticristo?
No statement is being made about whether the president is the anti-Christ (indicative), but just expressing uncertainy over it (subjunctive).
Go to goole and enter crees que sea and you'll see all kinds of examples.
What I don't understand is that in the question ¿crees que..? how can the speaker be making a statement about anything because it is a question. The speaker is asking someone else what they believe and therefore I don't see how the subjunctive works here.
It would seem to me that any time that the subordinate clause referered to something that was improbable, indefinite, etc. the subjunctive would be used.
I realize that the subjunctive follows no crees que... more than crees que...,but I still don't see what warrants your shock.
I pulled this off a title in Google.
¿Crees que sea barack obama el anticristo?
No statement is being made about whether the president is the anti-Christ (indicative), but just expressing uncertainy over it (subjunctive).
Go to goole and enter crees que sea and you'll see all kinds of examples.
