The Subjunctive - Master Classes

Grammar
The Subjunctive
Certain verbs demand the use of the subjunctive. They are usually the same verbs that require the subjunctive
in Spanish (Insistió que viniéramos / quería que lo esperáramos), but fortunately, the subjunctive is easier in
English and sometimes you can find ways not to use it.
It is so easy, that it looks like the infinitive: If I come / If you come / If he come / If she come / If we come, etc.
So you just have to be careful not to use the ‘s’ in he/she.
These verbs are in general formal verbs (insist that, demand that, suppose that, propose that…). Or set
phrases that come from old times (and are still used):
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Set phrases
Translation
if need be
as it were
if I were you
(God) bless you!
come Monday (Tuesday, etc.)
come what may
far be it from (or for) me
until death do us part
God save our gracious Queen
God bless America
Heaven forbid
so be it
suffice it to say
peace be with you
truth be told
would that it were
rest in peace
let (may) it be known
May the best man win
= si fuera necesario
= de la forma que está/es
= si (yo) fuera vos
= que Dios te bendiga *
= cuando llegue el lunes
= pase lo que pase
= lejos estoy de (hacer tal cosa)
= hasta que la muerte nos separe
= (que) Dios salve a la Reina!
= (que) Dios bendiga a America!
= que Dios no lo permita
= que así sea
= (que) baste decir que
= (que) la paz sea contigo
= (que) la verdad sea dicha
= ojalá fuera
= que descanse en paz
= que se sepa
= que gane el mejor
Some of the verbs after which we need the Subjunctive are: propose, suggest, recommend, move (in the
parliamentary sense), demand, or mandate.
And some of the adjectives after which we need the Subjunctive are: imperative, important, adamant, or
necessary, or by a noun like insistence or proposal.
Note that the present subjunctive is used in these cases regardless of the actual time reference. The main
verb can be in the present or the past (°).
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I move(d)° that the bill be put to a vote. [moved = hago la moción]
I ask(ed)° that he be shown mercy.
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Grammar
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It is (or was)° necessary that we not forget our instructions. / It is (or was) necessary lest we forget our
instructions.
Her insistence that he leave seems (or seemed)° rude.
To express a wish
The past subjunctive is used after the verb to wish: I wish he were here or I wished he were there.
Oh, I wish I were in the land of eternal summer.
To express a hypothesis
The past subjunctive is used after the conjunction if in a contrary-to-fact and contrary-to-possibility. For
example:
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If I were a millionaire, I would buy a sports car.
If he had a car with him, he could drive us there.
If I were a rich man...
In the same vein, the past subjunctive is used following the conjunctions as if and as though to express a
contrary-to-fact situation that reality is supposed to resemble:
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She looked as though she were going to kill him, but after glaring for a bit, she just stormed off.
He tried to explain it — as if he knew anything about the subject!
Note that the past subjunctive is sometimes used in expressing situations that are not necessarily contrary to
fact: *the past subjunctive of “be” is “were” in all persons+
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If I were to go with choice B, I might be better off in the long term. [= si me decidiera por la
opción B, podría irme mejor a largo plazo.]
Bring an umbrella; looks as if it were going to rain soon. [= Trae el paraguas; parece que fuera a
llover.]
Demise of the subjunctive [/di-mais/] [= la muerte del subjuntivo]
In informal English, the indicative can take the place of the subjunctive, although this is considered erroneous
by some in formal speech and writing. (Think TOEFL!) The similarity of the subjunctive and the past tense has
led to the confusion between the two, and the error is evident in various pop culture references and music
lyrics.
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If I was President...
If he was a ghost...
If I was a rich girl...
This demise is not uniform; compare: If I Were a Boy by Beyoncé Knowles 2008
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