The subjunctive mood is really important in Spanish.

It helps us talk about our wishes, doubts, hopes, and even things that aren't real.

To use it properly, it’s helpful to know some common phrases that need the subjunctive. Here are some key ones:

Common Expressions That Use the Subjunctive

1. Wishes and Desires:

   • Ojalá: This means "I hope." For example, you can say, “Ojalá que venga," which means "I hope he/she comes."
   • Quiero que: This means "I want you to." Like, “Quiero que me llames," meaning "I want you to call me."

2. Doubt and Uncertainty:

   • Dudo que: This means "I doubt that." An example is, “Dudo que él haya terminado," which means "I doubt he has finished."
   • No creo que: This means "I don’t believe." For example, “No creo que sea cierto," which translates to "I don’t believe it is true."

3. Emotional Reactions:

   • Me alegra que: This means "I’m glad that." For instance, "Me alegra que estés bien" means "I’m glad you are well."
   • Es triste que: This means "It’s sad that." For example, "Es triste que no vengas," means "It’s sad that you are not coming."

4. Impersonal Expressions:

   • Es importante que: This means "It’s important that." For example, “Es importante que estudies" means "It’s important that you study."
   • Es posible que: This means "It’s possible that." Like, "Es posible que llueva," which means "It’s possible that it will rain."

Understanding Conjugations

Using the subjunctive requires changing the verb forms. Here’s how to change regular verbs in the present subjunctive:

• -AR Verbs:
  For example, cantar becomes: cante, cantes, cante, cantemos, cantéis, canten.

• -ER Verbs:
  For example, comer becomes: coma, comas, coma, comamos, comáis, coman.

• -IR Verbs:
  For example, vivir becomes: viva, vivas, viva, vivamos, viváis, vivan.

Using the Subjunctive in Longer Sentences

When you're using the subjunctive in longer sentences, you'll have two parts connected by the word "que."

For example, in “Espero que vengas,” “Espero” is the main part and “que vengas” is the subjunctive part.

Practice with If Sentences

You can also find the subjunctive in sentences that start with "si," which means "if."

Here’s an example:

• "Si tuviera dinero, viajaría," which means "If I had money, I would travel."

Learning these phrases and how to use them will help you use the subjunctive mood correctly in different situations.