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subjunctive vs indicative

English lost almost all of its subjunctive, so learners treat it as decoration. In Spanish it is grammar: certain openings simply force it.

subjunctive

wish, doubt, emotion, denial, unreal future

  • Quiero que vengas.
  • Dudo que sea verdad.
  • Me alegro de que estés aquí.
  • No creo que tenga tiempo.
  • Cuando llegues, llámame.

indicative

facts, reports, certainty

  • Sé que vienes.
  • Es verdad que tiene tiempo.
  • Creo que está aquí.
  • Dice que llega tarde.
  • Cuando llego, siempre llamo.

Quick answer

indicative (habla, tiene) = you present something as a fact.
subjunctive (hable, tenga) = the clause is wished for, doubted, denied, or still hypothetical.

The trigger sits in the first half of the sentence, before que. Learn the openings, not the feeling.

Side by side

Creo que está enfermo. / No creo que esté enfermo.The negative of creer flips the clause into doubt, so the verb moves to the subjunctive.
Busco un piso que tenga balcón.I'm looking for a flat with a balcony — it may not exist yet, so subjunctive. <i>Busco el piso que tiene balcón</i> means a specific known flat.
Cuando termine, te aviso. / Cuando termino, te aviso.The first is one future moment (subjunctive), the second is a habit that already happens (indicative).

Memory trick

Cover everything after <i>que</i> and look only at the opening. Wanting, doubting, feeling, denying or an unreal future pull the subjunctive; knowing, saying and seeing do not.

Typical mistakes

Quiero que vienes a mi casa.

Quiero que vengas a mi casa.

Querer que always takes the subjunctive, because you are asking for something that has not happened. English "I want you to come" hides this.

Cuando llegas a Madrid, escríbeme.

Cuando llegues a Madrid, escríbeme.

A one-off future event after cuando needs the subjunctive. The indicative here would mean "whenever you arrive", as a routine.

Check yourself

Fill in: "Espero que ___ bien el examen."

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