Subjunctive vs. Indicative Spanish: 7 Moody Methods to Tell the Difference
- 1. Use the indicative to describe people’s actions and the subjunctive to describe people’s thoughts on those actions. ...
- 2. Use the indicative for beliefs and the subjunctive for doubts. ...
- 3. Use the indicative to finish the sentence “I would…” and the subjunctive to finish the sentence “I want…” ...
When do you use the subjunctive vs the indicative?
The subjunctive mood is used to talk about desires, doubts, wishes, conjectures, emotions, and possibilities. The indicative mood is used to talk about facts and other statements that are believed to be true and concrete. The imperative mood is used to give commands.
What is the difference between indicative and subjunctive?
• Indicative is a realis mood whereas subjunctive is irrealis mood. • Indicative describes facts whereas subjunctive tells us desires or wishes. • Subjunctive has more or less vanished from English language though it can be seen in many other Indo-European languages. • Indicative is the most common of the verb moods.
When to use the subjunctive tense in Spanish?
The subjunctive (el subjuntivo) is a mood in Spanish grammar. It is a special verb from that indicates subjectivity or unreality. It is used when expressing doubt, uncertainty, hypotheticals, emotion, desire, probability and obligation. Learn about the Spanish subjunctive then practise in the free exercises.
How to form the subjunctive in Spanish?
So, follow these steps to form the present subjunctive in Spanish:
- Focus on the first person singular ( yo ): trabajo, como, vivo.
- Drop the -o ending to get the root: trabaj…, com …, viv …
- Add these endings:
What's the difference between the subjunctive and the indicative?
The subjunctive is one of two “moods” in English grammar. The other is called the indicative. To oversimplify just a bit, the subjunctive mood is used for statements contrary to fact, whereas the indicative mood is the standard form we use for factual statements.
How do you know if a sentence is subjunctive?
The subjunctive mood expresses wishes, suggestions, demands, or desires in a sentence with usually two clauses, with a verb such as wish (or suggest, demand, etc.) in one clause and a second verb in the subjunctive mood. In the sentence 'I wish I were the president' the verb 'were' is in the subjunctive mood.
What is the difference between indicative and subjunctive and imperative?
The indicative mood makes a statement or asks a question. The imperative mood expresses commands or requests. The subjunctive mood represents an act or state of being as a contingency or possibility.
How can you tell the difference between the subjunctive and indicative in Latin?
However three moods of a verb exist in Latin. The indicative mood expresses facts. The imperative mood expresses commands. The subjunctive expresses an element of uncertainty, often a wish, desire, doubt or hope.
What are the 4 subjunctive tenses in Spanish?
In fact, the subjunctive has various tenses and forms, though fewer than the indicative mood. The 4 subjunctive tenses that we will cover are the present subjunctive, the imperfect (past) subjunctive, the present perfect subjunctive, and the pluperfect subjunctive.
What is an example of an indicative sentence?
Indicative is defined as a grammar term for a verb or a sentence that either makes a statement or asks a question. An example of the indicative is the sentence, "The birds are singing."
How do you identify an indicative mood?
Indicative mood is fact mood, and it's the one we use most often. It states, asks, or denies a fact. However, it can also express an opinion because opinions are often stated as facts; when you have an opinion about something, you usually view it as a fact.
What are the 3 moods of verbs?
Languages frequently distinguish grammatically three moods: the indicative, the imperative, and the subjunctive.
What are the 5 verbs moods examples?
The Five Grammatical MoodsIndicative Mood: This mood is used to express a fact statement. ... Imperative Mood: This mood is used to express a command or a request statement. ... Interrogative Mood: This mood is used to express a sense of uncertainty by asking a question. ... Conditional Mood: ... Subjunctive Mood:
What are 5 uses of the subjunctive Latin?
The subjunctive is used independently to express:An exhortation or command (Hortatory Subjunctive § 439).A concession (Concessive Subjunctive § 440).A wish (Optative Subjunctive § 441).A question of doubt etc. (Deliberative Subjunctive § 444).A possibility or contingency (Potential Subjunctive § 446).
How do you identify the indicative mood in Latin?
Latin verbs can state facts, give commands and express doubt The most common is indicative, which is used to make a simple statement of fact; the others are more expressive. The indicative mood is for stating facts, as in: "He is sleepy." The imperative mood is for issuing commands, as in: "Go to sleep."
Which of the following is an example of indicative mood?
Indicative mood: The indicative mood states facts in the form of statements, opinions, or questions. For example: “You kicked the ball.”
What is an example of a subjunctive sentence?
In the subjunctive mood, the verb remains in its bare form, rather than changing to reflect the tense. Here are two examples: Our teacher suggested that we finish our work early. If the shop were like other shops in town, it would take credit cards.
What is subjunctive form example?
The subjunctive form is the verb form used to explore a hypothetical situation (for example, If I were you) or to express a wish, a demand, or a suggestion (For example, I demand he be present).
What words are subjunctive form?
Use of base subjunctiveadvise, ask, command, demand, desire, insist, order, prefer, propose, recommend, request, suggest.command, demand, order, proposal, recommendation, request, suggestion.
What are subjunctive phrases?
Phrases That Trigger the Subjunctiveto doubtDudar que…to preferto hopeEsperar que…to insist onto askPedir que…to liketo thinkNo pensar que…to tellto wantQuerer que…not to believe1 more row
Which side of the subjunctive vs indicative discussion?
By now, I’m sure you know which one goes on either side of the subjunctive vs indicative discussion. When you are dealing with realistic situations, you have to use the indicative; when the situation is imaginary, then the subjunctive is the mood to use.
When to use subjunctive?
However, if that belief is negative, expresses uncertainty or doubt, then you have to use the subjunctive.
What is the difference between the first and second verbs in a sentence?
– In a sentence with two verbs, the first one expresses emotion and is separated from the second one by que, then the first verb is indicative and the second one is subjunctive.
What does indicative mean in a sentence?
You’re just saying it straight: the dog eats meat, period. The indicative expresses the meaning of the verb as a reality. Facts are the indicative specialty, and this leads to the belief that it’s the “main” mood.
What is a tense in Spanish?
Tenses refer to time. They exist to inform about the moment in time when an action takes place. Think past, present, and future, and you’ll get the idea of what a tense is. However, in Spanish there are many other tenses, and they’re divided into simple and compound tenses depending on the number of parts they have.
What does "si estudias, aprobarás el exam" mean?
Si estudias, aprobarás el examen. – If you study, you’ll pass the test.
What can you express with a language?
But just imagine for a minute how many things you can express with a language. Facts, opinions, ideas, emotions, wishes, hopes, beliefs, realistic situations, imaginary situations, etc. In some languages, such as English, you can express all of that with the same word.
When to use subjunctive?
Whenever a clause is introduced by “ maybe ” or “ perhaps ” you will use the subjunctive.
When to use subjunctive in subordinate clause?
Whenever the verbs in the main clause express ignorance or doubt, you will use the subjunctive in the subordinate clause
What is indicative clause?
In sentences with a subjunctive clause, there is generally an indicative clause that is about emotion, desire, ignorance, or an impersonal opinion related to the action in the subju nctive clause.
What does "indicative mood" mean?
In the indicative mood, you indicate or report information.
When does aunque introduce the subjunctive?
Whenever an action has not yet happened or is not known to happen, aunque introduces the subjunctive.
When is a subordinate clause in the subjunctive?
Whenever an action in the subordinate clause is indefinite or pending , the verb in the subordinate clause will be in the subjunctive. Take a look at this sentence.
Is the second part of a sentence in the subjunctive?
The second part (clause) of this sentence is in the subjunctive.
How to use indicative in Spanish?
1. Use the indicative to describe people’s actions and the subjunctive to describe people’s thoughts on those actions. In any beginner Spanish class, you’ll learn to describe your own actions and other people’s actions using the indicative mood. Ella lee el diário cada día. (She reads the newspaper every day.)
When commenting on someone's actions, there's no need for the subjunctive?
When somebody’s commenting on their own actions, there’s no need for the subjunctive. Instead, just use the infinitive form.
What does "Mis padres prefer that you eat dinner early" mean?
Mis padres prefieren que tú cenes temprano. (My parents prefer that you eat dinner early.) In this sentence, your parents are expressing a preference for somebody else’s actions, so you must use the subjunctive. As a general rule, don’t use the subjunctive mood to talk about your own actions.
What is a fluentu?
FluentU takes real-world videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons . With FluentU, you’ll get immersed in the Spanish language naturally, and your indicative vs subjunctive worries will be a thing of the past in no time.
What is indicative mood?
In Spanish, the indicative mood is used to talk about facts and objective reality. Most of the tenses that you learn in a beginner or intermediate Spanish class—present, imperfect, preterite, future, conditional and so on—are indicative. Here are some sentences that use verbs in the indicative mood: Yo tengo un perro.
When to use subjunctive mood?
On the other hand, if someone’s expressing doubt or uncertainty, use the subjunctive mood.
What does "ustedes toman el autobs" mean?
Ustedes toman el autobús. (You guys take the bus.)
Head vs. heart
I sometimes ask my students to imagine two worlds to help them visualize the concept of indicative and subjunctive:
Negation & subjunctive
Sometimes negation calls for the subjunctive. Here are two examples of negation for which you’ll need to remember to use the subjunctive.
Conjunctions calling for the subjunctive
Some conjunctions are followed by the subjunctive and need to be learned by heart.
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What is indicative mood?
To explain what the subjunctive mood is and when to use it, it can be helpful to compare it to its counterpart: the indicative mood. The term ‘indicative’ actually just covers any conjugated verb that isn’t subjunctive (or imperative) in Spanish. This means that whenever you have used a verb in the present tense, one of the past tenses, or any other tense really - this has likely been in the indicative . For example:
What is a subordinate clause?
A subordinate clause is a part of the sentence that is dependent on the main part of the sentence (called the main clause).
Is it hard to learn subjunctive?
There is no way to get around the fact that the subjunctive is very difficult to learn for those of us who don’ t have Spanish as a native language. I.e. if you think it sounds difficult and ‘fluffy’ at times, it’s because it is, especially because:
