The Subjunctive

I. Fundamentals:

The subjunctive is a mood, not a tense. It’s used to express various states of unreality such as doubt, possibility, necessity, and actions that have not yet occurred.
Spanish verbs have different conjugations in the subjunctive and the indicative.

II. How to form the Subjunctive:

Start with the first person singular (yo) form of the present tense. For example, for the verb hablar it is hablo.
Remove the “-o” ending to get the stem. In the example, it becomes “habl-“.
Add the subjunctive ending which are as follows: For -ar verbs: -e, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en For -er/-ir verbs: -a, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an In the example, “hable, hables, hable, hablemos, habléis, hablen”.

III. Irregular verbs in the Subjunctive:

A few verbs are irregular in the subjunctive mood. Often these verbs are irregular in other moods and tenses.
The common ones are: “Ser” becomes “sea, seas, sea, seamos, seáis, sean” “Ir” turns into “vaya, vayas, vaya, vayamos, vayáis, vayan” “Saber” changes to “sepa, sepas, sepa, sepamos, sepáis, sepan”

IV. When to use the Subjunctive:

It’s used in certain types of sentences and expressions, including polite requests, suggestions, and recommendations.
If the verb in the main clause expresses doubt, uncertainty, or personal reactions, the verb in the following clause is in subjunctive.
For example, in the sentence “Es mejor que tú estudies” (It is better that you study), “estudies” is in the subjunctive.

V. Other uses of the Subjunctive:

It is also used for sentences that express wishes, conjecture, recommendations, denial, or commands.
Notice that it is often used after conjunctions like para que (so that), antes de que (before), and a menos que (unless).

Remember, it’s all about practice. The more you use it, the easier it will become. So don’t just memorize these rules, try to incorporate them when you are reading, writing, listening or speaking Spanish. It will vastly improve your understanding of the language.