Subjunctive

Kevin,

First, I can't explain the subjunctive very well. As a matter of fact, I don't think anybody can explain the subjunctive very well. There is a famous quote from a Supreme Court decision where a Justice said "I don't know how to define pornography but I know it when I see it." That's pretty much how I view the subjunctive: I don't know how to define when the subjunctive is used, but I know it when I hear it & I know how to use it.

Every time that someone tries to define the subjunctive for me, I can almost instantly think of examples that don't conform to the definition. One generalization that I often hear is that the subjunctive "indicates uncertainty." Well, that's usually true but not always. At any rate, let's start there to keep things less complicated.

In order to learn the subjunctive, you need to listen very carefully to when Latinos use it. There's nothing that difficult about learning another conjugation; what is difficult is knowing when to use conjugations - especially the subjunctive.

Some of the most predictable contexts that the subjunctive is used is in the following patterns:

Deseo que....

Espero que....

Necesito que....

Prefiero que....

Quiero que....

Ruego que....

The subjunctive is used here. For example:

Deseo que haya paz algun dia en Colombia.

Espero que te encuentres muy bien.

Necesito que vayas al supermercado.

Prefiero que empecemos tempranito.

Quiero que seas sincero conmigo.

Ruego que lleguen ya mismo.

Do you see the pattern?

Jeff

[Chao]

Getting back to what Reality posted in the Medellin forum:

"Espero que habra' paz en el futuro."

Correct me if I am wrong but....

I recall that one of my Spanish instructors told our class that there is no future subjunctive. And, since Reality is using the future tense of the word "haber", which means (there) to be, then, his use of the word habra' is grammatically correct.

chao

Chao,

No, that is incorrect. See the textbook "El español y su estructura : Lectura y escritura para bilingües" - it's written in Spanish and intended for native-speakers born in the U.S.

The present tense of the subjunctive is used for both the present AND the future.

The statement, "Espero que habra paz en el futuro" is not Spanish. The subjunctive is necessary here.

"Habra paz algun dia en Colombia?" is Spanish because the subjunctive is not necessary here.

If someone says, "Ojala que haya paz en Colombia!" it is clear from context that the person hopes that there WILL BE peace in Colombia, not that there currently IS peace in Colombia. Again, this is another pattern that requires the present tense of the subjunctive, not the future tense.

If you notice, almost all the examples I provided in the first post relate to the future, not the present. All of those examples require the present tense of the subjunctive.

The subjunctive is somewhat difficult. Unlike other conjugations, the tense of the subjunctive does not necessarily indicate time clearly. (At least to the American mind; it's quite clear to native-speakers.)

Jeff

Jeff and Chao, clearly your command of Spanish is far more advanced than mine. Jeff, did you have a bilingual relative? Just curious. Frankly, I'm familiar with the simple tenses of verbs (my Spanish book calls them Endings of Simple Tenses of the Indicative) - past, present, future, imperfect, and conditional. When it comes to the meaning of the word "subjunctive", I become lost. I was never a great student of english, either. Jeff, I know you're trying to help me, but I'm still lost. My correct usage of haber especially as an impersonal verb is limited. Please try to continue to help me on this. Thanks..............................Kevin

I'm sorry, Kevin, but I no longer post on this particular message board. However, you can shoot me an email at biave@yahoo.com

No, I have no bilingual relatives. I learned Spanish at the Forrester Institute in Costa Rica. Each level of Spanish instruction at Forrester lasts one month. There are six levels in all. I completed all six levels and stayed an additional month in Costa Rica for a total of seven months. Then I was in Argentina for three months at a law school and a law firm there. Later I spent a month in Cuba and have spent three months in Colombia also.

We didn't have textbooks in English at Forrester, only workbooks in Spanish. Forrester uses the immersion approach. The textbook I mentioned is the only Spanish grammar textbook I've ever had. The textbook was used in a track of classes at the University of Florida entitled "Spanish For Native-Speakers" in which I got an A grade. The University of Florida is no longer permitted to use the "Spanish For Native-Speakers" title because of yours truly, but that's a long story. (If interested, you can read all about it in the archives of www.alligator.org - there are at least 3 or 4 articles.)

I have always learned Spanish in Spanish from native-speakers, so sometimes I don't know how to explain well in English. However, since Spanish is my fourth language, many topics I can explain well. It depends. Sometimes there are parallel concepts in English or German or Japanese (my other languages).

The subjunctive is difficult to explain, but important. Shoot me an email.

biave@yahoo.com