Subjunctive: Part VI

Notes:

  1. The written lesson is below.
  2. Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left.

 

In Part I, you learned that the subjunctive mood is used whenever the speaker feels uncertain about the action of the sentence, or when the speaker is expressing a subjective opinion.

In Parts II – IV, you learned all the rules for conjugating regular verbs in the present subjunctive.

In this lesson, you will simply practice another of the many ways the subjunctive is used: to express ignorance or doubt.

Here is a list of common expressions that introduce an aspect of ignorance or doubt to the sentence, and therefore trigger the use of the subjunctive.

dudar que …
to doubt that …
es dudoso que …
it is doubtful that …
es improbable que …
it’s unlikely that …
es incierto que …
it’s uncertain that …
es posible que …
it’s possible that …
no creer que …
not to believe that …
no es cierto que …
it’s not certain that …
no estar convencido de que …
to not be convinced that …
no estar seguro de que …
to not be sure that …
no parecer que …
to not seem that …
no pensar que …
to not think that …
no suponer que …
to not suppose that …
puede ser que …
it may be that …
negar que …
to deny that …
no es verdad que …
it’s not true that …
no es cierto que …
it’s not certain that …
no imaginarse que …
to not imagine that …
temer que …
to suspect that …

Remember, there are also expressions that trigger the use of the indicative mood, since they introduce a quality of certainty. Here’s a partial list of such expressions that we will mix into the practice exercises for this lesson, just to keep you on your toes!

no dudo que …
to not doubt that …
estar seguro de que …
to be certain that …
creer que …
to think that …
no negar que …
to not deny that …
es verdad que …
it’s true that …

Let’s add a flashcard for some expressions that introduce an aspect of ignorance or doubt:

Verb Flashcards
Complete List

Present Subjunctive – ignorance or doubt

dudar que
es improbable que
es incierto que
es posible que
no creer que
puede ser que
es aconsejable que
temer que