Using the Subjunctive

1. Using the Subjunctive Adverb Clauses

2. Adverbs, remember, answer the question “where,” “why,” “how,” “when,” “to what extent,” “under what circumstances.” We ate before he left. We ate . . . When? Before he left. We cried because he left. We cried . . . Why? Because he left. We will cry unless he leaves. We will cry . . . Under what circumstances? Unless he leaves.

3. There are certain conjunctions that introduce adverb clauses and REQUIRE the subjunctive: ESCAPA en caso de in case sin que without con talqueprovided that a menosque unless paraqueso that antes de quebefore

4. Vamos a salir a menosquenosayudes. – We’re going to leave unless you help us. Vamos a salir con talquenosayudes.– We’re going to leave provided that you help us. Vamos a salirparaquenosayudes. – We’re going to leave so that you’ll help us. Vamos a salir antes de quenosayudes. – We’re going to leave before you help us. “Sin que” is going to seem kind of strange to you, because we don’t have an equivalent conjunction in English: Vamos a salirsin quenosayudes. – We’re going to leave without your helping us. As you can see, in English, rather than using a clause, we use a prepositional phrase.

5. There are some conjunctions, called “time conjunctions,” that SOMETIMES require the subjunctive. Camel oT/HD3 cuando when aunque even if/although(even though) mientras while en cuantoas soon as luegoque as soon as tan pronto comoas soon as hastaque until después de que after de modoque in such a way that de maneraque in such a way that If the action in the dependent clause has not yet occurred, it needs the subjunctive: We will eat as soon as you arrive. In the above sentence, you haven’t arrived yet, so “as soon as” must be followed by the subjunctive: Comeremostan pronto comollegues. He’s going to study after you leave. Va a estudiardespues de quesalgas. (You haven’t left yet.) I’m going to read until we eat. Voy a leer hastaquecomamos. (We aren’t eating yet.) Nosesconderemos de modoque el no nosvea. (He has not seen us yet)

6. However, if the action has already occurred, you use the indicative, not the subjunctive: We ate as soon as you arrived. You’ve already arrived, so you use the indicative, not the subjunctive: Comimos tan pronto comollegaste. Similarly . . . He studied after you left. – Estudiódespués de quesaliste. You already left. You may have concluded that if the verb is in the past tense, you’re going to need the indicative. That isn’t necessarily so. Consider this sentence: I was going to eat as soon as Juan left. During the time frame of this sentence, Juan hadn’t left. You need the subjunctive—imperfect subjunctive: Yoiba a comer tan pronto como Juan saliera.

7. So, if the action has not yet occurred, you use the subjunctive after the time conjunction. If it has occurred, you use the indicative. But there’s one more consideration: If the action occurs habitually, you use the indicative: We always eat as soon as he arrives. – Siemprecomemos tan pronto comollega. . . . as opposed to the following: We’re going to eat as soon as he arrives. – Vamos a comer tan pronto comollegue. In the red sentence, we’re not talking about a one time occurrence. We’re talking about something that’s a regular, habitual occurrence. In the blue sentence, we’re talking about a particular occasion, and on this particular occasion, his arrival hasn’t happened yet.