Comment from Graham

To make it even further removed from reality
“Maybe it’s a T shirt shop I have never been in, Maybe it’s a flower shop!!!”

Comment from Michael

That’s great, thanks for the tip. Another way that has helped me think about subjunctive is to use it when you would use ‘may’ in front of a verb. Using one of your examples, one could say ‘who may be responsible’ instead of ‘who is responsible’. Same as ‘where we may be able to find’ instead of ‘where we can (are able to) find’. The tense exists in English, it’s just that we might have become more lax in our grammar.

Comment from John

Good commentary. Subjunctive is my favorite thing to teach because you can play with it. I like “Mr. Hippie”, and it is a good graphic for kids to wrap their head around the concept and the difference. Thanks for having fun with this.

Comment from Clara Hebblethwaite

Fantastico! Very clear presentation. I can’t wait to get the booklet! I use Notes in Spanish lots for my lessons. The podcast topics are interesting, just the right length and balance between SP & ENG just right. Thanks so much Ben y Marina. You’re doing a great job!

Comment from Emily

Gracias, Ben:) (¿O debo decir gracias a Liliana?) Me encanta la idea del “hippy” para simbolizar el modo subjuntivo–¡Qué chistoso! Espero que su “Super Simple Spanish Subjunctive Rule Book” me vaya a ayudar mucho. ¿Sí?

Comment from Anne

I loved the video on the subjunctive – an area of Spanish I find really hard and confusing! Thank you for explaining in such a clear concise way. I look forward to nis gold!!

Comment from Angeles

Ben!
Ten ciudado con la pronunciacion de “te ame” or “lleve” !

Comment from Bridget

Love Mr Hippie and am going to share him with friends – well, you would, wouldn’t you?

Comment from Sarah

There is a peculiar fear that surrounds the learning of the subjunctive, so thank you for addressing it in simple terms. I would be very keen to get my hands on the super simple spanish subjunctive rule book. You guys really know how to get our language learning taste buds tingling. Good work.

Comment from toby

Excellent! that does help. However, my other issue is that I have trouble remembering the subjunctive forms of any particular verb. guess I ought to just study them a bit huh?

Comment from Cathrine Whittaker

Fantastico video Ben. You make it so easy to understand a tense that is always hard for me to grasp.

Muchas gracias

Comment from Dave Hall

Great stuff Ben. Also, Michael’s comment about thinking of it in terms of “may” reminds me that I do a similar thing but using the word “ever” as that to me helps add a bit of uncertainty to it in English. So using two examples from Ben’s video:

1. “Pararemos donde podamos” takes the subjunctive because we’re saying that we will stop “wherEVER” we can. Not in a specific layby or place WHERE parking is allowed, but just “WHEREVER” we can in general.

2. “Cualquier cosa que compres” – again is “WhichEVER thing you buy” which to my mind adds a touch of uncertainty and makes me think of a whole range of possible things to buy of which we don’t know which one will actually be bought yet.

It doesn’t always help of course (for example, it doesn’t work with the Elvis T-shirt example), but it’s an extra little memory aid that maybe makes things a fraction easier to cope with.

Also, I thought Angeles was going mad for mentioning Ben’s pronunciation of “te ame” and “lleve” but on listening again, I think your stress on those words to make them stand out has accidentally made them sound more like “te amé” and “llevé”

Comment from Cristóbal

Excellente. Va a ayudar a todos y demistifier la diferencia entre el indicativo y el subjuntivo. Bravo y gracias

Comment from Parismart

es simplemente sorprendente y ayudará a todos los

Comment from Nick

What a crazy coincidence that my three-hour Spanish class this afternoon is going to be all about the subjunctive! I don’t know whether or not to watch Ben’s video first, or save it until afterwards.

Comment from Lisa

¡Fenomenal! Mis estudiantes y yo acabamos de empezar esta parte del subjuntivo. Voy a compartir tu sitio con ellos para que los ayude. Gracias por crearlo. Sé que la información en “Super Simple Spanish Subjunctive Rule Book” va a ser muy útil para que entiendan mejor ellos cómo se usa el subjuntivo.

Comment from Phil

Good taster – looking forward to the Full Monty!

I take the points that Angeles and Dave made – naturally I had to go back and have another listen! You are both right, of course, but in fairness to Ben (who clearly needs all the help he can get ) I think we are confusing his normal pronunciation with his desire to indicate emphasis.

Think about it: In English, if you want to say ,”Not that one, but THIS one”, you would emphasise the THIS. Similarly, if you were saying, “That coffee is not a lattAH but a lattEH”, where normally you would pronounce the word LAHte (Actually, I just ask for a coffee with milk, but that’s beside the point!) The thing is, you are trying to emphasise the difference between the two sounds.

Of course, in Spanish, this poses a problem, as the accentuations are so important for correct understanding. So only a very small smack on the wrist for Ben, I think!

Comment from paul stanton

Ben, thanks for that pictorial tip on subjuntive usage, it’ll certainly come in handy.
Maybe this isn’t the appropriate occasion to bring this up, but there is a “black hole” in dictionaries and textbooks regarding an aspect of pronunciation. I’m referring to double vowels: as far as I can work out, if a weak vowel such as “i” is the first of the couplet, the stress falls on the previous syllable (unless otherwise indicated by a written accent mark) – as in farmacia. However, when I lived in Spain, my bank allowed me to use the branch as my mailbox, and the first time I enquired if there was any post for me, I used the word “correo”, stressing the second “e”, this being a strong vowel, but was corrected by the bank clerk who placed the stress on the first “o”.
If yourself and Marina haven’t already included this in your tutorials, could you pleeeeeease consider addressing this sometime in the future, as it is a confusing issue that, I’m sure, could be easily resolved by a simple guideline.

Again, many thanks, best wishes to you both,

Paul

Comment from John

I am sure that after seeing the presentation we will all be aficionados of the subjunctive. Looking forward to the notes in spanish gold.

Comment from tania

you are a supercool guy!!! with every audio and every video everything is so clear!!!thanks a lot for doing it

Comment from J

Thanks for the video, helpful new perspective. Just one small quibble: This may be a British/American thing, but here in the US it’s almost always spelled “hippie”. Cuando leo “hippy”, pienso en alguien de caderas grandes.

Comment from rohini

The presentation on rule 7 subjunctive mood was a wonderful way to learn I wish you would explain each rule in the future in the same way.
Gracias,
Rohini.

Comment from Eunice Chang

This really is clear, Mr Hippy Dude!
I like it! Thanks

Comment from Ben

@Angela, Dave, Phil:

“I take the points that Angeles and Dave made – naturally I had to go back and have another listen! You are both right, of course, but in fairness to Ben (who clearly needs all the help he can get ) I think we are confusing his normal pronunciation with his desire to indicate emphasis.”

- This is the case, as Dave said too, I was trying to emphasize the change of ending, not that the natural stress would fall there – sorry for the confusion!

Comment from Vernon

An enjoyable video and great teaching!
A 21 page booklet on the subjunctive is surely an oxymoron, I thought. Until I listened to your piece.

Comment from Gemma

What a fantastic, clear explanation Ben! Thank you so much!

Comment from Jessica

I can’t WAIT for Notes in Spanish Gold!! You guys rock!

Comment from Martin

Maybe it helps even more to explain that the subjunctive is not a “grammar” feature but a matter of syntax, the logic of a language. If we look at the sentence

“Busco una camiseta que lleva una foto de Elvis.”

most beginners in Spanish would think that the subjunctive follows out of the phrase

“Busco una camiseta que…”

However, that’s not how Spanish natives think. Language is about thought into speech. Before saying the aforementioned sentence they already distinguish between an imaginary and real Elvis shirt in their thoughts and that’s why they choose the subjunctive (or not) when putting it into speech. The phrase “Busco una camiseta que…” is only auxiliary and secondary in thought for making up a complete sentence. A Spanish speaker does not “forget” to use the subjunctive because it follows out of his thoughts and not out of grammar related constraints.

The trick is, you need to get used to this kind of thinking and avoid trying to trigger it from “que” phrases and the like. Second, if you get used into this logic (which takes some time), you also develop a sense for its necessity.

Comment from Molly

Hej Ben & Marina. Always looking for the best shortcuts to learn and remember the Spanish I come across. So this is most welcome. Thanks
And a hint to Toby. One easy rule about the subjunctive: -ar verbs get E in the ending & -er and -ir verbs
gets an A. So apart from the unregular verbs that have other particularities too, this is quite easy to remember.

Comment from Hollis

¡Me cae bien el señor Hippy!

Great stuff Ben – enjoyed the format etc.

Comment from Ben

@Martin: “However, that’s not how Spanish natives think. Language is about thought into speech. Before saying the aforementioned sentence they already distinguish between an imaginary and real Elvis shirt in their thoughts and that’s why they choose the subjunctive (or not) when putting it into speech.”

- Quite right! Eventually the subjunctive becomes second nature, and just pops out when it should – it becomes a state of mind! I go deeper into that in the main report.

Comment from jerome

Que bieeeeeeen Ben!! Enhorabuena, muchas gracias por este podcast. Ahora estoy mas seguro sobre este tema, de nuevo gracias amigo!

Comment from Michael Curtin

Ben, just an observation. I might have expected you to use the definite article in the first t-shirt example where you want to use the indicative of llevar: Busco LA camiseta…
Of course you know what you have or have not seen having been in the t-shirt short previously, BUT will the clerk (as soon as he hears the indefinite, I repeat indefinitive (possibly non-existent) article “una” be expecting the subjunctive of llevar to follow?
And, on hearing it (the indicative of llevar), will he immediately know all that you know in your mind or will he be thinking that maybe you don’t know how to use the subjunctive or will will what he thinks all depend on scores of other factors which it takes too much time going into.
Sorry if this is all very pedantic.

Comment from Garry Knight

Thanks, Ben, and to Liliana too. I always thought that the use of the subjunctive was a matter of whether what you’re talking about exists or not, but also thought that there were uses of the subjunctive that might not fit this simple model. My way of remembering verb tenses (I prefer relaxes, of course) is to visualise a timeline on which the indicative tenses are on the line, the conditional is just above the line, and the subjunctive is some way up above it. So, if something’s still “up in the air”, I’ll use the subjunctive. Oh, by the way, the beard suits you.

Comment from Bella

That has refreshed my memory about subjuntive! I’ve always had a few doubts about when to use it. Thanks.

Comment from Maryse

Muchas gracias. ¡Siempre es un placer eschucharos! Estoy tomando clases ahora mismo y estamos aprendiendo el subjuntivo. Lo que me cuesta también en español es el imperativo… Necesito practica sobre eso… ¿Hay algo sobre el imperativo en Notes in Spanish Gold?

Comment from Darrius Serrant

Great video; I’ve yet to run into a conversational situation where I used the subjunctive incorrectly, but this video definitely gives me another way to perceive the subjunctive, and has taught me about some more scenarios in which it is used. Again, nicely done ^_^

I’m also looking forward to what you have in store for us all in Notes in Spanish Gold.

Comment from Lisa

¡Perfecto! ¡Me encanta! This is great, Ben. I really enjoyed the noticias video – classic Ben and Marina. I also really liked the instructional format of this video. You took something kind of complicated and made it simple … perfect for an inspired beginner. I’m really looking forward to the gold launch next week.

Comment from Annie

As always thanks so much Ben. Martin, answered one of my questions that developed from the video: Do you really learn how to use this? How much do you have to think to use it? The answer being: yes, it makes sense in the language and one starts using it naturally in the language. Ahhh me, to someday naturally use a subjunctive verb!

Comment from Kim

I really enjoyed the lesson. It was very clear and made it easy to understand the subjunctive.

Comment from Sherry

Muchas Gracias, Ben! I am looking forward to more on the subjunctive…..it has been my downfall!

Comment from Steven

There is a typo: lleve = *subjuncive* because I’m not sure they have one!

Comment from carol

Hi Ben and Maria, I followed your explaination of subjunctive, well, I thought I had until I read the comments. Having been at the beginner stage for (I’m ashamed to admit) many years, I was beginning to think that, with your help, I was progressing. Now I feel as if I’ve been kicked back to start. Don’t ask me to translate, I haven’t a clue, sorry. Looking forward to “gold” hoping I will be able to keep up. All the best to the three of you in Madrid, Carol

Comment from Sue

I really love getting the all the extras that come through the email – am actually disappointed when there isn´t one in my inbox! Really looking forward to the gold, although I´m still plodding a bit through the Intermediate. I´m pretty sure it´s the right level for me as I understand the gist, but can you suggest anything else I could do to give me a boost? I´m probably just impatient ….. anyway, back to the video – it´s great, I love the explanation. I always thought I could get by without using the subjunctive but am beginning to realise that if I´m going to be serious about the language then I need to learn it. Keep up the good work! Looking forward to your next missive!

Comment from Gill

Hola Ben,
I had reached a brick wall as far as learning Spanish was concerned but now I look forward to a lesson whenever I get chance to get onto the computer to listen to you and Maria (my son usually hogs it) or indeed to check my emails. Thanks so much. Spanish is exciting again!!!!

Comment from Anna

Hi Ben! Thanks a lot for sharing! Very simple but useful tip, I suppose that vision of Mr Hippy will stay in my mind – nothing like imagination! Greetings for you and Marina!

Comment from Michael E

Very clear and helpful. I do tend to use subjunctive correctly when I write, but rarely bother when I speak. One question about the Elvis t-shirt example. If you know the t-shirt exists because you’ve seen it, why use “una” instead of “la” ?… Busco la camiseta que lleva una foto de Elvis?

Comment from Pat k

Loved your explanation of the subjunctive, Ben — most helpful, as are all of your hints. I do have one great concern, however, having not long ago bought the whole package of worksheets for the beginner + intermediate + advanced Notes in Spanish. Will these podcasts still be available when NIS Gold comes out??

Comment from Esperanza Cano

Cuidadito con la pronunciación de lleve y ame, Ben. Hay una diferencia entre llevé y lleve, y amé y ame.
Me gustan las ideas que presentaste en el video.

Comment from Aibing

So good! So helpful! I had been confused by the conjugations of the verbs especially the indicative and subjunctive. Thank you very much for the clear and vivid explanations. Best wishes to you and Marina!

Comment from Ben

Thanks for all the new comments, we are so busy putting the final touches to NIS Gold, that you must forgive me for not answering everyone individually, but here are a few answers:

@Michael Curtin and @Michael E – good point, but I think the example is still a great way of highlighting the existence/non-existence principal – it’s the example Liliana used with us in fact, with ‘una’ for both. In English I think I still might say ‘a tshirt’ with Elvis on, even if I knew it was there.

@Maryse – Gold está lleno de imperativos, pero no hemos hecho un estudio tan grande como con el subjuntivo!

@Annie (and everyone!) – of course you’ll use the subjunctive naturally one day, we’ll make sure of that!

@Sue – hopefully ‘Gold’ will give you the boost you need!

@Pat k – don’t worry, of course the other audio will still be on the site when Gold comes out, but Gold is where we’ll be focusing all our energies now and producing really up-to-date audio – plus the format is slightly different, and will be really useful we hope.

@Esperanza “Cuidadito con la pronunciación de lleve y ame, Ben. Hay una diferencia entre llevé y lleve, y amé y ame.” – I know, I was just putting emphasis on the last vowel to show it changed in the subjunctive, but of course when pronouncing it in reality, the emphasis comes in the same place as for the indicative version – sorry for the confusion – the grammar is still correct!

Apologies again for not responding to every comment here, if I’ve missed a question, please do contact us! Ben

Comment from Julie

Great explanation of the Subjunctive…I lived in Madrid for 10 months almost two years ago teaching English and “trying” to learn Spanish. I wish I had known about your website then. However, I’m going to to be in Madrid for New Year’s Eve this year so your podcasts have been great for maintaining what I know and learning lots of new authentic Spanish. Gracias por todo!

Comment from Jennifer Saucedo

I teach Spanish in Texas and I use your site for my students quite often. This one is especially helpful to them- I always struggle with explaining the subjunctive. Thanks so much!

Comment from Rodney

Nice video. You should consider making a video to correspond to each of the 12 rules you have for the subjuntive. I think it would great.

BTW, love your work, keep it up, I’ve learned un monton de cosas from you two.

Too bad you don’t do Mexican Spanish. :>(

Comment from Marco

Muy interesante – aprender Español de un Ingles como Aleman! Gracias por vuestros videos! Mi mujer es Española y nos gusta mucho ver los videos. Tenemos muchas vezes las mismas situationes y discusiones sobre diferencias culturales… Muchos saludos, Marco

Comment from Carlota

I thought your video on the subjunctive was very helpful. I also picked up on a couple more helpful hints from other viewers of your video who use, “may” and “ever”, in the thought process. Thanks to all 3 of you.

Comment from James IVOZI

Good to see you finally doing some proper work, Curtis, instead of chinwagging with your missus. Keep it up and I might even take you seriously as a teacher. Ha ha ha…

From…. your bitter peer with no revenue who’s about to start chinwagging for a living.

un abrazo

Comment from Ben

@James, haha, good to see you pop in here, can’t wait to see your venture take off soon!

Comment from anthony crespo

Excellent but you need to get more information on the difference between voice and mood. The subjunctive is not a voice (active/passive) but a mood (aka mode).

tc,
Spanish Language teacher

Comment from Dominic

¡Estupendo! muchas gracias Ben. Con este ejemplo, porfin, lo entiendo mas claramente .

Comment from Alan Russell

¡Fantástico! Honestemente, tengo siempre problemas decidir entre el indicativo e el subjunctivo, y esa guía graciosa me ayuda mucho. Gracias por otro gran recurso

Comment from Martin

Excellent thanks

Comment from Jane

Very helpful. These same rules, of course, apply to French. And I wonder, do we ever use the subjunctive in English. For instance, one can say either “I wish I was going,” or “I wish I were going.” I have always thought “were” was subjunctive, but maybe not.
Here are a few sentences about my cat. I wonder if you need the subjunctive when I talk about how I think my cat is feeling. Obviously, I don’t really know.
Una vez, cuando mi hija pasó cerca de Morrie, y dijo “”que gatita muy adorable”, Morrie la atacó con dientes y garras. Creo que ella fue insultada.