33 incredibly useful expressions to help you master the Spanish subjunctive (2024)

Chapters in this guide:

1. What is the subjunctive? A brief introduction
2. Spanish subjunctive conjugations: Verb forms and quiz
3. Spanish subjunctive uses and meanings
4. Deep dive 1: Noun clauses
5. Deep dive 2: Adjective clauses
6. Deep dive 3: Additional uses
7. 33 Spanish subjunctive phrases to memorise now (this chapter)

A little bit about these phrases

We didn’t just invent these phrases. We’ve extracted the most common uses of the subjunctive from native speakers using a “corpus” (enormous body of native Spanish text), so we are sure that these are absolutely the most useful Spanish subjunctive phrases to memorise. Enjoy!

Download these phrases

Simply sign up below, and we’ll send you a beautiful infographic of these subjunctive phrases:

Phrases with sea

Seacomes from the verbser, “to be”. It’s an extremely common verb, and is the most common Spanish verb that you’ll find in the subjunctive:

O sea…That is…

We’ve started with the most common expression that you’ll hear.O seameans “that is”, “in other words”, “or rather”, “that is to say”. You’ll hear it all the time, almost as a verbal tic among native Spanish speakers across the Spanish speaking world.

Sea como sea –No matter how, at any cost

Cuando sea –Whenever

Ya sea por x o y – whether it be for x or y

You can use ya sea por to mean “whether”, and this usually comes with an “or”, for example:ya sea por motivos de trabajo o diversión(“whether it be for reasons of work or fun”)

Phrases with aunquesea

Aunquemeans “although”, andaunque seais one of the most common constructions you’ll hear. Learn these phrases usingaunque seato build fluency in your conversation:

Aunque sea poco –Although it’s a little/not much

Aunque sea difícil –Although it’s difficult

Aunque sea pequeño –Although it’s small

Aunque sea duro –Although it’s difficult/tough

Phrases withojalá

Ojalástands out as a Spanish word, and itisalways followed by the subjunctive. The history of this little word is fascinating – it’s originally from the ArabicInsha’Allah!, meaning “If God wills”. Today it’s used to mean “I hope”, or “may it be so”. Here are some of the most common phrases usingojalá:

Ojalá sea pronto – I hope it is soon

Ojalá puedas ayudarme – I hope you can help me

Ojalá hubiera más – I wish there were more

Ojalá llegue – I hope he/she/it arrives

Ojalá que

Although purists sometimes argue thatojalá queis incorrect, in everday Spanish it is used all the time. Here are some phrases usingojalá que:

Ojalá que salga bien –I hope it turns out ok

Ojalá que haya sido… –I hope it’s been…

Phrases with cuando

Cuandois often used with the subjunctive. It’s usually used with a verb to refer to some future action or event which is not yet a reality (hence the use of the subjunctive):

Cuando sea necesario– When it’s necessary

Cuando esté hecho– When it’s done

Cuando esté conmigo– When it/he/she is with me

Cuando tengas tiempo – When you have time

Cuando venga – When he/she/it arrives

Cuando salga– When he/she it leaves

Phrases with quiero que

Quiero que (I want) almost always takes the subjunctive, as it refers to the imposition of will or desire. These very common short phrases illustrate that perfectly:

Quiero que sepas – I want you to know

Quiero que vuelva– I want him/her/it to return

Phrases with para que

Para que means “so that”, and is often used with the subjunctive:

Para que veas– So that you see

Para que funcione – So that it works

Para que sepas– So that you know

Impersonal expressions with the Spanish subjunctive

An impersonal expression simply means that no personal pronoun (ie,yo, tú, usted, etc)is used. These take the form “es ADJECTIVE que”, and are often followed by the subjunctive. Note that when you are sure about the result of something, or affirming the reality of something, the indicative is used (e.g.Es cierto que sabe):

Es posible que haya…– It’s possible that there is…

Es probable que sea– It’s probable that it’s…

Es importante que sepas – It’s important that you know

Es posible que exista– It’s possible that it exists