Spanish 3 / Unit 2: The Present Subjunctive with Wishes and Emotions
2.3 Wishes and Influence (W in WEIRDO)
Notes
The subjunctive appears in a dependent clause after the word que when one person tries to influence another. The acronym WEIRDO lists the triggers: Wishes, Emotions, Impersonal expressions, Recommendations, Doubt, Ojalá.
- The sentence needs two clauses and two different subjects: main clause + que + subjunctive.
- Verbs of wishing and influence: querer, desear, esperar, preferir, pedir, aconsejar, recomendar, sugerir, insistir en, prohibir, permitir, mandar.
- Mi madre prefiere que yo estudie medicina.
- If there is only one subject, use the infinitive instead: Quiero estudiar medicina. (not Quiero que estudie).
- Indirect object pronouns often appear: Te recomiendo que leas este libro.
Practice
Yo quiero ___ al cine con ustedes. (ir)
There is only one subject (yo), so querer is followed by the infinitive.
Mi profesora insiste en que nosotros ___ (practicar) todos los días.
Insistir en que is an influence trigger. Practicar changes c to qu: practiquemos.
¿Cuál de estas oraciones usa correctamente el subjuntivo?
Recomendar triggers the subjunctive when the subjects differ (yo recomiendo, tú lees).
Ready for more? Take the Unit 2 test.