Severn Spanish

Subjunctive in adverbial clauses III

 

Introduction

Please familiarize yourself with the basic idea of the subjunctive, its present-tense conjugations, and the most fundamental uses before continuing in this section. It may also be a good idea to take a look at the uses of the subjunctive in adjective clauses if you have not done so already.

 

Adverbs are parts of speech that modify verbs by indicating how, when, where, or why an action occurred. Adverbial clauses are clauses that act as adverbs for the main verb of a sentence. For example, in the English sentence "Hug me before you go," the main verb, "hug," is modified by the adverb clause "before you go."

 

Adverbial clauses and the subjunctive

Adverbial clauses in English are pretty straightforward; unfortuantely, the same cannot be said of adverbial clauses in Spanish, thanks to the subjunctive.

 

Whether or not the verb of an adverb clause will take the subjunctive is a difficult question to answer. However, all hope is not lost: there are some basic guidelines, as well as some adverb expressions that always take the subjunctive. We will start with those.

 

Para que

This phrase means "in order to/that" and is always followed by the subjunctive.

Examples:

El profesor escribió su propio texto para que sus estudiantes estén impresionados. (The professor wrote his own textbook in order that his students be impressed.)

El presidente ha creado otro programa nuevo para que los ilegales no tengan que salir del país. (The president has created another new program so that illegals do not have to leave the country.)

 

Sin que

Meaning "without," this is another one that always receives the subjunctive. Be aware, however, that if the subject does not change between the main clause and the adverbial clause, you should use the sin + infinitive rather than the subjunctive. Take a look at the below examples to clear things up.

Examples:

Mi hermana siempre lleva mi vestido favorito sin que yo lo sepa. (My sister always wears my favorite dress without my knowing it.)

Mi hermana siempre lleva mi vestido favorito sin pedirme permiso. (My sister always wears my favorite dressing without asking my permission.)

 

A menos que

This one means "unless," and always takes the subjunctive.

Examples:

No voy a escribir el ensayo a menos que mi parejo me ayude. (I am not going to write the essay unless my partner helps me.)

Los trabajadores no regresan a menos que el jefe les pague bien. (The workers are not returning unless the boss pays them well.)

 

The following three adverb expressions sometimes take the subjunctive and sometimes take the indicative, depending on the scenario. This makes using them a little bit trickier.

As a general rule of thumb, you will want the subjunctive when you are expressing a condition, an anticipated event that has not yet come to pass, or something theoretical or hypothetical. If, on the other hand, you are expressing a fact or something unconditional, you will use the indicative. Another hint: if the main clause is in the future tense (or the phrasal future), you will almost certainly need the subjunctive in the adverbial clause.

 

Hasta que

Hasta que means "until."

Examples:

Siempre me quedo despierto hasta que regresas. (I always stay awake until you come back. Because this is something that happens every time, and is a fact rather than an anticiapted event, the verb regresar is conjugated in the present indicative rather than the present subjunctive.)

No vamos a comer hasta que ellos lleguen. (We will not eat until they arrive. Because we are waiting for an arrival that has not yet happened, we need the subjunctive.)

 

Cuando

You are probably somewhat familiar with cuando in other contexts, namely that of asking questions. It is also an important adverb.

Examples:

Los chicos lloraron cuando vieron el perro. (The children cried when they saw the dog. Because this is an event that occurred in the past and is not something anticipated, we do not need the subjunctive.)

Te llamaré cuando llegue a casa. (I will call you when I get home. In this case, the event is anticipated and therefore requires the subjunctive.)

 

Después de que

Meaning "after," this is another somewhat tricky one.

Examples:

Cada día, comemos después de que papá vuelva. (Every day, we eat afer Dad gets back. Because this is a factual statement of a daily occurrence, the indicative is used.)

Vamos a comer después de que los hombres salgan. (We are going to eat after the men leave.)