Plans, wishes & possibilities
What you hope for
Present subjunctive: hopes and emotions
Express wishes or emotional reactions about an event.
Endings refresher
Present subjunctive
For many verbs, start with the present yo form, remove -o, and add the opposite-vowel ending.
| Person | -ar ending | -er / -ir ending |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -e | -a |
| tú | -es | -as |
| él / ella / usted | -e | -a |
| nosotros / nosotras | -emos | -amos |
| vosotros / vosotras | -éis | -áis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | -en | -an |
hacer → hago → hag- + -a → yo haga
- Some -ir verbs also change the stem in nosotros and vosotros: pedir → pidamos / pidáis; dormir → durmamos / durmáis.
- Spelling may change to preserve the sound: buscar → busque, llegar → llegue, empezar → empiece (also e → ie).
- Common exceptions include sea, vaya, haya, sepa, dé and esté.
- These charts use tú. Vosotros / vosotras is mainly used in Spain; ustedes uses the final row. Vos forms vary by region.
The pattern
- Forms below follow: yo, tú, él/ella/usted, nosotros, vosotros, ellos/ustedes. Vosotros is mainly used in Spain; ustedes uses the final form.
- Often: hope/emotion + que + subjunctive.
- Present subjunctive: take the present yo stem; -ar takes -e, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en; -er/-ir takes -a, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an.
- Common irregulars: sea, vaya, haya, sepa, dé, esté.
Espero que tengas un buen viaje.
I hope you have a good trip.
Why it works: Espero que introduces a wish about someone else. Tengas is the present subjunctive of tener for tú.
Notice the difference
Espero viajar pronto.
I hope to travel soon.
Why it works: Here I am both hoping and traveling, so an infinitive is a natural way to connect the actions.
One thing to watch for
When the same person does both actions, an infinitive may fit: espero viajar pronto.