Subjunctive with Emotions and Wishes

Using the subjunctive mood to express emotions, wishes, and desires in Spanish.

Emotions Trigger Subjunctive

When expressing emotions about someone else's actions or situations:

Pattern: emotion verb + que + subjunctive

Common Emotion Verbs

Happiness: Me alegra que... (I'm happy that...) Me gusta que... (I like that...) Estoy contento/a de que... (I'm happy that...)

Me alegra que vengas. (I'm happy that you're coming.)

Sadness: Me entristece que... (It saddens me that...) Lamento que... (I regret that...) Siento que... (I'm sorry that...)

Siento que no puedas venir. (I'm sorry you can't come.)

Fear: Temo que... (I fear that...) Me da miedo que... (I'm afraid that...) Me preocupa que... (I'm worried that...)

Temo que llueva. (I'm afraid it will rain.)

Anger/Annoyance: Me molesta que... (It bothers me that...) Me enoja que... (It makes me angry that...) Me frustra que... (It frustrates me that...)

Me molesta que llegues tarde. (It bothers me that you arrive late.)

Surprise: Me sorprende que... (I'm surprised that...) Es extraño que... (It's strange that...)

Me sorprende que no lo sepas. (I'm surprised you don't know.)

Wishes and Desires

Querer (to want): Quiero que vengas. (I want you to come.) No quiero que te vayas. (I don't want you to leave.)

Desear (to wish): Deseo que seas feliz. (I wish you to be happy.)

Esperar (to hope): Espero que tengas éxito. (I hope you're successful.) Espero que todo salga bien. (I hope everything goes well.)

Ojalá (I hope/wish)

Always followed by subjunctive:

¡Ojalá que vengas! (I hope you come!) ¡Ojalá llueva! (I hope it rains!) ¡Ojalá pudiera ir! (I wish I could go!)

"Que" is optional with ojalá but commonly used.

Impersonal Expressions with Emotions

Es + adjective + que + subjunctive:

Es bueno que... (It's good that...) Es malo que... (It's bad that...) Es triste que... (It's sad that...) Es importante que... (It's important that...) Es necesario que... (It's necessary that...) Es increíble que... (It's incredible that...)

Es importante que estudies. (It's important that you study.)

Same Subject vs Different Subject

Different subjects - use subjunctive: Quiero que tú vengas. (I want you to come.)

Same subject - use infinitive: Quiero venir. (I want to come.)

Negation Changes Mood

Affirmative - no subjunctive: Creo que viene. (I think he's coming - indicative)

Negative - subjunctive: No creo que venga. (I don't think he's coming - subjunctive)

Expressing Hope

Espero que todo esté bien. (I hope everything is okay.) Ojalá que tengas un buen día. (I hope you have a good day.) Que tengas suerte. (May you have luck / Good luck.)

Common Wish Phrases

Que te vaya bien. (May it go well for you.) Que descanses. (Rest well / May you rest.) Que te mejores. (Get well / May you get better.) Que lo pases bien. (Have a good time.) Que Dios te bendiga. (May God bless you.)

Tense Matching

Present emotion → present subjunctive: Me alegra que estés aquí. (I'm happy you're here.)

Past emotion → imperfect subjunctive: Me alegró que estuvieras allí. (I was happy you were there.)

With Infinitive Constructions

When emotion is general (no specific person): Es importante estudiar. (It's important to study - general) Es importante que estudies. (It's important that YOU study - specific)

Practice Sentences

Espero que entiendas. (I hope you understand.) Me da miedo que me olvides. (I'm afraid you'll forget me.) Es una lástima que no puedas venir. (It's a shame you can't come.) Ojalá que funcione. (I hope it works.) Me sorprende que no lo sepas. (I'm surprised you don't know it.)

Practice