More on the Present Subjunctive Tense in Spanish

We discussed some of the uses of the subjunctive mood in Level IV, Lesson 7, mainly expressing opinions, possibilities, desires, wishes, feelings, requests, and recommendations. We will cover other cases of the subjunctive mood here.

Time Expressions in the Future

Let us examine the following time expressions:

cuando	when
apenas, en cuanto, tan pronto como, ni bien	as soon as
hasta que	until
antes de que	before
después de que	after

When one of the above expressions is in the present or the past, we use the indicative, for example:

Vi a mi hermano cuando llegué a casa.	I saw my brother when I arrived home.
Leo el correo tan pronto como lo recibo.	I read the mail as soon as I receive it.
Envié el paquete después de que me pagaron.	I sent the parcel after they paid me.

However, if used to describe an action in the future, the sentence after the above time expressions shall be in the subjunctive, for example:

Veré a mi hermano cuando llegue a casa.	I will see my brother when I arrive home.
Leeré el correo tan pronto como lo reciba.	I will read the mail as soon as I receive it.
Voy a enviar el paquete después de que me paguen.	I will send the parcel after they pay me.

The Expression “Ojalá”

The expression “ojalá” is derived from the Arabic influence on the Spanish language and is used to express hope that something would happen or would have happened. We will cover the use of “ojalá” in the present subjunctive, which translates roughly as “hopefully” to express hope for something to happen in the present or the future, for example:

Ojalá que no llueva esta noche.	Hopefully, it *won’t rain*** tonight.
Ojalá que mi hermano venga hoy.	Hopefully, my brother will come today.

“Ojalá” can also be used to express hope that something has happened or would have happened in the past. We will cover that in the lessons to come with the imperfect and perfect subjunctive.

The Use of “Para que”

The preposition “para,” meaning “for,” “to,” or “in order to,” is used to indicate the purpose or the objective.

When used alone without “que” afterward, it is followed by the verb in the infinitive, for example:

Compré un auto para viajar.	I bought a car to travel.
Uso este libro para aprender español.	I use this book to learn Spanish.

Notice in the sentences above that the subject is the same before and after “para.” Thus, we used the infinitive.

If the subject before and after “para” is different, we use “para que” followed by the subjunctive, for example:

Compré un auto para que podamos viajar.	I bought a car so that we can travel.
Uso este libro para que aprendamos español.	I use this book so that we learn Spanish.

Another alternative to “para que,” which is more formal but has the same meaning, is “a fin de que,” and it is similarly followed by the subjunctive, for example:

Compré un auto a fin de que viajemos.	I bought a car so that we travel.
Uso este libro a fin de que aprendamos español.	I use this book so that we learn Spanish.

The Use of “Mientras”

The word “mientras” has many different uses, most of which use the indicative mood. However, the following two cases use the present subjunctive:

“Mientras” (=as long as)

Mientras (que) estés cansado, no tienes que trabajar.	*As long* as you’re tired, you don’t have to work.
Mientras (que) el café sea bueno, lo tomaré.	*As long* as the coffee is good, I’ll drink it.

Notice that the verb after “mientras” and “mientras que” in the above examples is in the present subjunctive. The use of “que” in this case is optional.

If “mientras” is followed by the indicative and not the subjunctive, it means “while” and describes two events that happen simultaneously, for example:

Voy a cenar mientras tú ves la tele.	I’m going to have dinner while you watch TV.
Mientras escucho música, hago la tarea.	*While* I listen to music, I do the homework.
Mientras estaba caminando por la calle, pensaba en el trabajo.	*While* I was walking down the street, I was thinking about work.

“Mientras más/menos” (= the more, the less)

To form expressions that start with “the more” or “the less” in Spanish, we can use “mientras” followed by “más” or “menos,” respectively. If the sentence refers to something that happens in the present, the indicative mood is used. However, if the sentence refers to something that will happen in the future, the subjunctive mood is used instead, for example:

Mientras más sé, más quiero aprender.	*The more* I know, the more I want to learn.
Mientras menos agregues, menos desorden crearás.	*The less* you add, the less mess you will create.

Notice that the first example uses the indicative mood, whereas the second uses the subjunctive mood.

An alternative to “mientras más/menos” that is more common, is “cuanto más/menos,” which has the same meaning, for example:

Cuanto más sé, más quiero aprender.	*The more* I know, the more I want to learn.
Cuanto menos agregues, menos desorden crearás.	*The less* you add, the less mess you will create.

The expression “cuanto/mientras más/menos” can also be followed by a noun or adjective instead of a verb, for example:

Mientras/cuanto más ejercicio, más saludable.	*The more* exercise, the healthier.
Mientras/cuanto más salado, más sabroso.	The saltier, the tastier.

One thing to notice is that one must use the correct number and gender if “cuanto” is used instead of “mientras,” for example:

Mientras/cuantas más personas me llamen hoy, más feliz estaré.	*The more* people call me today, the happier I will be.
Mientras/cuanta menos ventilación en la casa, menos saludable.	*The less* ventilation in the house, the less healthy.

If “mejor/peor” (better/worse) is used, the second “más/menos” is not needed, for example:

Mientras/cuanta menos ventilación en la casa, peor la calidad del aire.

The less ventilation in the house, the worse the air quality.

More Expressions that use the Subjunctive

It is really hard to include all expressions that use the subjunctive in this limited space. However, a few expressions are still worth mentioning as we are likely to encounter them more frequently.

“Siempre que” & “Con tal de que”

The expressions “siempre que” and “con tal de que” mean “as long as” or “provided that.” They are both similar in meaning and context to “mientras que” followed by the subjunctive, for example:

Mientras que el café sea bueno, lo tomaré.	*As long* as the coffee is good, I’ll drink it.
Siempre que el café sea bueno, lo tomaré.	*As long* as the coffee is good, I’ll drink it.
Con tal de que el café sea bueno, lo tomaré.	*As long* as the coffee is good, I’ll drink it.

“Por mucho que” & “Por más que”

The expressions “por mucho que” and “por más que” both mean “no matter how much” or “however much.” Both expressions use the subjunctive, for example:

Iré al gimnasio por más que me sienta cansado.	I will go to the gym no matter *how much* I feel tired.
Por mucho que lo quiera, no cenaré hoy.	*As much as* I want it, I won’t have dinner today.
Por mucho que insistas, no lo haré.	*No matter* *how much* you insist, I won’t do it.

“A menos que”

Another common expression that is usually followed by the subjunctive is “a menos que,” which means “unless,” for example:

A menos que tengas bastante dinero, será difícil vivir aquí.	*Unless* you have enough money, it will be difficult to live here.
No vamos a avanzar a menos que seamos pacientes.	We won’t advance unless we are patient.

“Sin que”

The expression “sin que,” which means “without,” is often followed by the subjunctive and used in a similar context to “a menos que,” for example:

Dejaré la llave sin que él la vea.	I will leave the key without him seeing.
No vamos a avanzar sin que seamos pacientes.	We won’t advance without being patient.