Wishes, recommendations and reactions

What you’ll learn

• Use quiero que and recomiendo que with another person's action.
• Express a reaction with me alegra que.
• Choose an infinitive for a same-subject desire in the examples taught.

Who should perform the action?

Compare Quiero salir with Quiero que salgas. In the first sentence the speaker wants to perform the action; in the second the speaker wants the listener to do it. The second construction has two clauses and two subjects. Use the subjunctive in the desired action clause: Quiero que Ana lea el mensaje.

Recommendations often follow a similar pattern: Te recomiendo que descanses. The main clause identifies the recommendation and the second clause expresses the recommended action. A recommendation is not a report that the person already did it. Keep the person ending aligned with the intended subject: recomiendo que leas for tú, que lean for ustedes.

React without changing the facts

Expressions of emotion or evaluation can frame a clause with the subjunctive: Me alegra que estés aquí; es importante que lleguemos a tiempo. The speaker can know that the person is present and still use estés because the construction presents an emotional reaction. This shows why uncertainty alone cannot explain every use.

Ojalá expresses a wish and commonly takes a subjunctive form: Ojalá tengamos buen tiempo. Keep your statement's purpose clear: a wish, recommendation or reaction. Avoid switching every verb to the subjunctive just because the sentence contains one such clause. The main clause still needs the form that matches its own meaning.

Useful vocabulary

ojalá

I hope / if only

me alegra que

I am glad that

a tiempo

on time

Common mistakes

• Quiero salir and quiero que salgas have different subjects in the desired action.
• A known fact can still appear in a subjunctive emotional-reaction clause.
• Keep each verb's person and clause role clear.

Keep these ideas

• Use a que clause for the desired action of another subject.
• Recommendations and emotional reactions commonly frame a subjunctive clause.
• Interpret the construction, not just the speaker's certainty.

Use it in your life

Write a character's wish, a reading recommendation and a reaction to a known event. Label the purpose of each sentence.

Read it in context

Look for this lesson’s ideas in a complete Spanish story. Read the passage first, then use its translations to check your understanding.