Yes, the subjunctive is hard for a native English speaker to wrap their mind around. But have no fear! You can begin to use the Spanish subjunctive... little by little...
The overall concept of the subjunctive:
*refers to events which are uncertain, unreal, or which have not yet taken place
*The subjunctive is one of three forms or moods of the verb. The other two are the indicative mood (all the tenses... present, preterite, imperfect, conditional, future) and the imperative mood.
Start with using the subjunctive in a few situations and expand on your understanding from there.
Respuestas:
pase lo que pase ➡️ (whatever happens)
digan lo que digan ➡️ (whatever they say)
sea quien sea ➡️ (whoever it is)
que yo sepa ➡️ (as far as I know)
que yo recuerde ➡️ (as far as I remember)
o sea ➡️ (that is; in other words)
Ejemplos:
¡Que lo pases bien! (Have a good time!) --> present subjunctive
¡Que te vaya bien! (May it go well for you!) --> present subjunctive
Pase lo que pase. (Come what may. / Whatever happens.) --> present subjunctive
Digan lo que digan (Whatever they say) --> present subjunctive
Sea quien sea (Whoever it is) --> present subjunctive
Que yo sepa (As far as I know) --> present subjunctive
Que yo recuerde (As far as I remember) --> present subjunctive
O sea (That is; In other words) --> present subjunctive
Sea lo que sea (Whatever it is) --> present subjunctive
¡Ojalá no tuviera que ir! (I wish I didn't have to go!) --> imperfect subjunctive
Quisiera un café con leche. (I would like coffee with milk.) --> imperfect subjunctive
¿Si pudieras, me harías un favor? (Would you do a favor for me?) --> imperfect subjunctive
Examples of subject variations for "¡Que lo pases bien!"
¡Que lo pases bien! (Have a good time!) (second person singular, familiar (tú form))
¡Que lo pase bien! (Have a good time!) (second person singular, formal (usted form))
¡Que lo pasen bien! (Have a good time!) (second person plural (ustedes form))
¡Esperamos que lo pasen bien! (We hope you (ustedes form) enjoy it!)
The great thing is, you don't need to understand the grammar to use it. For reals!
Keep talking and watch your Spanish grow!
*Source:
Kattán-Ibarra, Juan, and Angela Howkins. Spanish Tutor: Grammar and Vocabulary Workbook. Teach Yourself, 2015.
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