Use of Spanish Subjunctive With Impersonal Es Phrases

Use of Spanish Subjunctive With Impersonal Es Phrases Learning when to use the subjunctive mood in Spanish can be a challenge, so to help you get started, this lesson looks at a particular type of simple sentence, one that starts with Es adjective or noun que. The English equivalent is It is adjective or noun that, and the usage is common in both languages. These sentences provide a good introduction to the subjunctive for Spanish students because the verb mood depends on how the verb is used rather than requiring memorization of particular phrases. The general rule about the use of mood in Spanish requires that Es _____ que would be followed by a verb in the indicative mood if the initial phrase expresses certainty- but in the subjunctive, if it expresses doubt, uncertainty, desire, probability, or an emotional reaction. The phrase can be thought of as a trigger; some phrases trigger one mood, some phrases another. The following list is far from complete, but learning them should help give you a feel for which mood will be triggered by other phrases. In the examples below, the verbs triggered by the it is statement are in boldface. Note that the that in the English translations before the verb is optional, but the Spanish que is mandatory. Es ... Que Phrases Triggering the Subjunctive Examples of the subjunctive being used to express lack of certainty: Es probable que (It is likely that): Es probable que las temperaturas mà ­nimas se acerquen a los 20 grados bajo cero. (It is likely that the low temperatures will approach the minus 20s.)Es posible que (It is possible that): Es posible que un religioso sea deshonesto. (It is possible that a religious person be dishonest.)Es imposible que (Its impossible that): Es imposible que el mundo termine el 2021. (Its impossible that the world will end in 2021.)No es cierto que (It isnt certain that): No es cierto que la medicina inyectable cause cncer. (It is not certain that the injectable medicine causes cancer.)No es seguro que (It is not certain that): No es seguro que el cliente tenga capacidad para devolver el prà ©stamo. (It is not certain that the customer has the ability to pay off the loan.) Examples of the subjunctive being used in giving advice: Es importante que (It is important that): Es importante que comiences una dieta sana. (It is important that you begin a healthy diet.)Es aconsejable que (It is advisable that):  ¿A partir de quà © edad es aconsejable que un nià ±o tenga mà ³vil? (Beginning at what age is it advisable that a child has a cellphone?)Es necesario que (It is necessary that): Es necesario que todo cambie. It is necessary that everything change. (Note that in this instance and the following two, the English translation explicitly uses the subjunctive mood.)Es preciso que (It is necessary that): Es preciso que Amà ©rica Latina reduzca la pobreza. (It is necessary that Latin America reduce poverty.) Examples of the subjunctive being used in expressing personal reactions: Es (una) lstima que (Its a shame that):  ¡Es una lstima que no està ©s conmigo! (Its a shame that you arent with me!)Es bueno que (It is good that): Es bueno que tus clientes te sigan en Twitter. (It is good that your customers are following you on Twitter. Note that the statement following que is factually true; the subjunctive is used here because the sentence is an evaluation of that fact.) Es ... Que Phrases Triggering the Indicative The indicative is used in these examples because of the expression of certainty, even though that certainty may be an opinion rather than factual. Es cierto que (It is certain that): Es cierto que solo dos personas conocen la formula secreta. It is certain that only two people know the secret formula. Es obvio que (It is obvious that): Es obvio que Miley Cyrus es mà ºchisimo mejor que Selena Gà ³mez. It is obvious that Miley Cyrus is much better than Selena Gomez. Es seguro que (It is certain that): Es seguro que el cliente tiene capacidad para devolver el prà ©stamo. It is certain that the customer has the ability to pay off the loan. No es dudoso que (It is not doubtful that): No es dudoso que ests obligado a restituirla. It is not doubtful that you are obligated to pay her back. (In real-life speech, however, it is fairly common to use the subjunctive after no es dudoso, despite what the rules of grammar say, possibly because Es dudoso que is always followed by the subjunctive.) Es verdad que (it is true that):  ¿Es verdad que los elefantes temen a los ratones? Is it true that elephants are afraid of mice? Key Takeaways A Spanish sentence beginning with es ____ que (it is _____ that) can be followed by a verb in either the subjunctive or indicative mood.The indicative verb is triggered by es ____ que phrases that express certainty.Subjunctive verbs are triggered by es ____ que phrases that indicate uncertainty, give advice, or provide an emotional reaction.