Mood is a grammatical concept that organizes verb tenses. It refers to the different ways in which the action of a verb can be expressed. The three moods in Spanish are the indicative mood, the subjunctive mood and the imperative mood. Aside from the imperative mood, which is only conjugated in the present tense, all tenses can be conjugated differently in both the indicative and subjunctive moods. Therefore, mood has a lot of influence when conjugating verbs in Spanish and thus, is an important concept to understand.
Subjunctive, Indicative, and Imperative Moods in Spanish
verb moods
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Indicative Mood
The indicative mood is characterized by expressing actions or ideas that are real or concrete, such as facts, objective statements and easily perceived qualities of a person, place or thing. For example, the sentence “I eat eggs on Sundays” (Yo como huevos los domingos) is in the indicative mood as it is stating a truth or a fact. Even if the tense were to change to, let’s say, the preterite tense “I ate eggs on Sunday” (Yo comí huevos el domingo) it is still considered to be in the indicative mood as it remains a statement of fact. The indicative mood is the most frequently used out of the three and thus it is the first one to learn at the basic Spanish level.
Example Sentences for the Indicative Mood:
No vas a ir a la fiesta. |
You are not going to the party. |
Durante el sismo, mantuvimos la calma. |
During the earthquake, we remained calm. |
No ganaron. |
They didn’t win. |
Subjunctive Mood
The subjunctive mood is characterized by expressing actions or ideas that are hypothetical and not concrete. These can be in the form of subjective statements and opinions as well as desires, hopes and wishes. The subjunctive mood is used a lot more in Spanish than it is in English so it can sometimes be a tricky concept for native English speakers.
The following verbs are normally expressed in the subjunctive mood by making a subjunctive clause with with the word que (that) followed by a second verb conjugated in the subjunctive:
pedir que |
to ask/request |
demandar que |
to demand |
insistir que |
to insist |
ordenar que |
to order |
rezar que |
to pray |
preferir que |
to prefer |
recomendar que |
to recommend |
arrepentirse de que |
to regret |
requerir que |
to require |
sugerir que |
to suggest |
esperar que |
to wish |
negar que |
to refuse |
sorprender que |
to surprise |
gustar que |
to like |
querer que |
to want |
dudar que |
to doubt |
necesitar que |
to need |
sentir que |
to feel |
Aside from the common verbs used with the subjunctive, here are some other expressions that trigger the subjunctive mood:
No creer que |
to not believe that |
No es cierto que |
It’s not true that |
Es interesante que |
It is interesting that |
Es necesario que |
It’s necessary that |
Es posible que |
It’s possible that |
Es ridículo que |
It’s ridiculous that |
Es raro que |
It’s strange that |
Es terrible que |
It’s terrible that |
Es mejor que |
It’s better that |
Es bueno/malo que |
It’s good/bad that |
Example Sentences for the Subjunctive Mood:
Me sorprende que no haya venido a la cena de despedida. |
It surprises me that he/she didn’t come to the going-away dinner. |
Te niego que vayas a la fiesta. |
I forbid you from going to the party. |
Es importante que mantengamos la calma. |
It’s important that we all remain calm. |
Dudo que ganen. |
I doubt that they will win. |
Me gusta que me regales flores. |
I like that/when you give me flowers. |
Imperative
The imperative mood is characterized by making demands and giving direct orders. Only the present tense is used to express the imperative mood. Also, since demands are always made to another person there is no conjugation for the “yo” form.
Example Sentences for the Imperative Mood:
¡Tienes que ir a la cena de despedida! |
You have to go to the going-away dinner! |
¡No vayas a la fiesta! |
Don’t go to the party! |
¡Mantengan la calma! |
Stay calm! |
¡Ganen! |
Win! |
¡Regálame flores! |
Give me flowers! |
As a quick review, remember that the indicative mood is used to talk about actions and events that are real, while the subjunctive mood is used to talk about hypothetical situations and ideas. Lastly, the imperative mood is to give orders or demands and is only conjugated in the present tense. Now that you have a solid understanding of the various moods in Spanish you can more easily express yourself like a native speaker!