The Subjunctive with Wishes: quiero que, espero que, deseo que

Spanish: El subjuntivo con deseos: quiero que, espero que, deseo que

Level: B1 Intermediate

Category: subjunctive

Explanation

In Spanish, when one person expresses a wish or hope about what ANOTHER person should do, the subjunctive mood is used in the subordinate clause. Verbs such as "querer" (to want), "esperar" (to hope), "desear" (to wish), "preferir" (to prefer) and "necesitar" (to need) introduce this type of sentence. The basic structure is: subject 1 + verb of wishing + "que" + subject 2 (different) + verb in subjunctive. For example: "Quiero que vengas" (I want / you to come). The key is the change of subject. If both parts of the sentence have the SAME subject, you do not use "que" or the subjunctive, but rather the infinitive: "Quiero comer" (I want to eat). But if there are two different subjects, "que" appears and the verb goes in the subjunctive: "Quiero que comas" (I want you to eat). The present subjunctive is formed by switching the thematic vowel: -ar verbs take endings with -e (hable, hables, hable...), and -er/-ir verbs take endings with -a (coma, comas, coma... / viva, vivas, viva...). Remember that many verbs that are irregular in the present indicative keep that irregularity in the subjunctive (tener → tenga, venir → venga, hacer → haga). This use of the subjunctive is very common in daily life: when ordering something at a restaurant, when expressing good wishes to someone, or when talking about what we want to happen. Mastering it is essential to sound natural and polite in Spanish.

Examples

• Quiero que me traigas un café con leche, por favor. - I want you to bring me a coffee with milk, please.
• Espero que la habitación tenga vistas al parque. - I hope the room has views of the park.
• Deseo que disfrutes tu estancia en Madrid. - I wish that you enjoy your stay in Madrid.
• El vendedor quiere que probemos las naranjas frescas. - The vendor wants us to try the fresh oranges.
• Prefiero que la guía hable más despacio. - I prefer that the guide speaks more slowly.