Recomendaciones y expectativas
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Form the present subjunctive of regular, stem-changing, and high-frequency irregular verbs.
- Use the present subjunctive in que clauses after expressions of influence, desire, necessity, and emotion.
- Distinguish situations that require the subjunctive from situations that keep the indicative or an infinitive.
- Attach object and reflexive pronouns correctly to infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative commands, including the written accents this creates.
- Combine two object pronouns in a single sentence with correct order and placement.
- Give recommendations, express hopes, and react with emotion to someone else's situation in connected speech and writing.
Communication Scenario
The neighborhood park project is finished, but now the community association wants advice on what to do next. Camila has been asked to collect recommendations from neighbors about how to take care of the new space, and to pass those recommendations along to the association in a way that sounds like genuine advice rather than a list of rules. This chapter asks you to do something similar: recommend, request, and react to other people's situations, using language that expresses what you want them to do, not just what you yourself will do.
- Think of a piece of advice you have given a friend or family member recently. Did you say it as a command, a suggestion, or something softer?
- In English, notice the difference between I think you should call her and I hope you call her. Both give advice, but they place different weight on the listener's choice.
Core Vocabulary: Consejos y reacciones
Purpose: to build a working vocabulary of verbs and expressions that introduce recommendations, desires, necessities, and emotional reactions — the exact triggers the present subjunctive depends on.
| Palabra o expresión | Significado | Categoría |
|---|---|---|
| recomendar (ie) | to recommend | influencia |
| sugerir (ie, i) | to suggest | influencia |
| pedir (i, i) | to ask for, request | influencia |
| insistir en | to insist on | influencia |
| querer (ie) | to want | deseo |
| esperar | to hope | deseo |
| preferir (ie, i) | to prefer | deseo |
| es necesario que | it's necessary that | necesidad |
| es importante que | it's important that | necesidad |
| hace falta que | it's necessary that, it's needed that | necesidad |
| alegrarse de que | to be glad that | emoción |
| sentir (ie, i) que | to be sorry that, to feel that | emoción |
| preocuparle a alguien que | to worry someone that | emoción |
| sorprenderle a alguien que | to surprise someone that | emoción |
| ojalá (que) | I hope, if only | deseo (formulaico) |
Each of these expressions can be followed by a que clause with a change of subject. When the subject does not change, Spanish normally uses an infinitive instead: Quiero ayudar versus Quiero que tú ayudes.
Grammar: El subjuntivo presente
Purpose: to form the present subjunctive accurately and to use it in que clauses that express influence, desire, necessity, or emotion about someone else's actions.
To form the present subjunctive of most verbs, start from the yo form of the present indicative, drop the -o, and add the "opposite vowel" endings: -ar verbs take e endings, and -er/-ir verbs take a endings.
| hablar | comer | vivir | |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hable | coma | viva |
| tú | hables | comas | vivas |
| usted/él/ella | hable | coma | viva |
| nosotros/nosotras | hablemos | comamos | vivamos |
| ustedes/ellos/ellas | hablen | coman | vivan |
Verbs with an irregular yo form keep that irregularity throughout the subjunctive: tener → tenga, hacer → haga, poner → ponga, conocer → conozca. A small group of very high-frequency verbs is irregular in a different way and must be memorized: ser (sea), estar (esté), ir (vaya), saber (sepa), dar (dé), haber (haya).
The present subjunctive appears in a dependent clause introduced by que when the main clause expresses influence, desire, necessity, or emotion, and the subject of the dependent clause is different from the subject of the main clause.
- Influencia: Te recomiendo que hables con el comité.
- Deseo: Espero que ustedes disfruten del parque.
- Necesidad: Es necesario que alguien riegue las plantas nuevas.
- Emoción: Nos alegramos de que el proyecto haya terminado a tiempo.
When there is no change of subject, Spanish uses an infinitive instead of a subjunctive clause: Espero disfrutar del parque (I hope to enjoy the park) versus Espero que disfrutes del parque (I hope you enjoy the park).
Ejemplos:
- El comité sugiere que los vecinos cuiden las áreas verdes juntos. The committee suggests that neighbors take care of the green areas together.
- Es importante que todos respeten el horario del parque. It's important that everyone respect the park's hours.
- Ojalá que el parque siga así de bonito por muchos años. I hope the park stays this beautiful for many years.
Práctica controlada:
- Completa con la forma correcta del subjuntivo: Recomiendo que ustedes _____ (visitar) el parque los fines de semana.
- Completa: Es necesario que alguien _____ (poner) más basureros cerca de las bancas.
- Completa: Nos sorprende que tantos vecinos _____ (venir) a la reunión.
- Transforma la oración usando el subjuntivo: (Yo quiero.) Tú cuidas las plantas. → Quiero que _____.
Grammar: Pronombres con infinitivo, gerundio y mandatos
Purpose: to attach object and reflexive pronouns correctly to infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative commands, and to combine two object pronouns in the same sentence.
You have already placed object and reflexive pronouns before a conjugated verb: Lo recomiendo. With an infinitive, a gerund, or an affirmative command, the pronoun may instead attach to the end of the word.
- Infinitivo: Voy a recomendárselo al comité. (attached) or Se lo voy a recomendar al comité. (before the conjugated verb)
- Gerundio: Están explicándoles las nuevas reglas. (attached) or Les están explicando las nuevas reglas. (before the conjugated verb)
- Mandato afirmativo: Explíqueselo, por favor. (attachment is required with affirmative commands, unlike with infinitives and gerunds, where both positions are correct)
Attaching a pronoun almost always shifts the natural stress of the word, so a written accent is usually required to keep the original pronunciation: explicar → explicárselo, explicando → explicándoles, explique → explíquese.
When a sentence needs both an indirect object pronoun and a direct object pronoun, the indirect object comes first, and le/les becomes se before lo, la, los, or las.
- Le recomiendo el parque a Camila. → Se lo recomiendo.
- Voy a explicarles las reglas a los niños. → Voy a explicárselas.
Práctica controlada:
- Reescribe con el pronombre atado al infinitivo: Voy a decirte la verdad. → Voy a _____.
- Reescribe con dos pronombres: El comité le explica las reglas a los vecinos. → El comité _____ explica.
- Da el mandato afirmativo con pronombre atado: (usted) explicar / la regla → _____.
Model Dialogue
Camila speaks with a member of the community association about how to take care of the new park.
Listening Task
Ask your instructor, a partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following short exchange aloud, twice. As you listen, identify each subjunctive trigger and whether it expresses influencia, deseo, necesidad, or emoción.
"Quiero que ustedes cuiden bien las herramientas del jardín comunitario. Es necesario que las guarden después de usarlas, y prefiero que no se las presten a nadie fuera del grupo. Me alegra que tantas personas quieran participar, pero también me preocupa que perdamos las herramientas si no somos organizados. Ojalá que todos sigan estas recomendaciones."
| Expresión | Categoría (influencia / deseo / necesidad / emoción) |
|---|---|
| Quiero que ustedes cuiden... | ______ |
| Es necesario que las guarden... | ______ |
| Me alegra que tantas personas quieran... | ______ |
| Me preocupa que perdamos... | ______ |
Reading Task
Reread the model dialogue above, then complete the following analysis independently or with a partner.
- Find every subjunctive verb form in the dialogue and identify the expression that triggers it.
- Find one sentence where a pronoun is attached to an infinitive, and rewrite it with the pronoun placed before the conjugated verb instead.
- Find the sentence with two object pronouns together, and explain what each pronoun refers to.
- Explain why jueguen is subjunctive but explicar later in the same turn is an infinitive.
Writing Workshop: Recomendaciones para tu comunidad
Write eight to ten sentences of recommendations for an imagined or real community space (a park, a school, a workplace, an apartment building). Your recommendations must include all four categories from this chapter.
- Influencia. Write at least one recommendation or suggestion using recomendar, sugerir, or pedir plus the subjunctive.
- Deseo. Write at least one sentence with querer, esperar, or preferir plus the subjunctive, or with ojalá que.
- Necesidad. Write at least one sentence with es necesario que or es importante que plus the subjunctive.
- Emoción. Write at least one sentence expressing gladness, worry, or surprise about the situation, using the subjunctive.
- Pronombres. Include at least one sentence where you attach an object or reflexive pronoun to an infinitive, a gerund, or an affirmative command, with the correct accent.
- Revisa. Check your draft against the checklist below before submitting it.
Lista de revisión:
- My recommendations cover influencia, deseo, necesidad, and emoción.
- I used the subjunctive only when the subject changes between the two clauses.
- I used an infinitive, not a subjunctive clause, whenever the subject stays the same.
- My attached pronouns have the correct written accent.
- If I combined two object pronouns, I changed le/les to se correctly.
- I did not introduce any grammar system beyond what this chapter and prior chapters have activated.
- My accents, capitalization, and punctuation are correct throughout.
Speaking Task
Práctica controlada
With a partner, take turns reading aloud the model dialogue, paying attention to the subjunctive endings and to where the pronouns attach.
Tarea comunicativa: Consejero comunitario
Working from your written recommendations, present them aloud to a partner as if they were a member of a community association. Your partner should ask at least two follow-up questions, such as ¿Por qué recomienda eso? or ¿Qué espera que hagamos?
Alternativa individual
If you are studying independently: record yourself presenting your recommendations aloud in under two minutes, then listen back and check whether you used the subjunctive correctly after each trigger expression.
Culture and Communication
In many Spanish-speaking communities, direct commands are often softened into recommendations, suggestions, or expressions of hope, especially between neighbors, colleagues, or acquaintances rather than close family. Learning to recommend with recomiendo que, sugiero que, or espero que is not only a grammar point; it reflects a common, everyday way of giving advice without sounding like a command, in many but not all communities and settings.
The formulaic expression ojalá comes historically from Arabic and is used throughout the Spanish-speaking world, though its frequency and the exact expressions built around it can vary by region and register. This course continues to treat it as a formulaic trigger for the subjunctive rather than analyzing its etymology further.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: Using the subjunctive when the subject does not change — Quiero que yo vaya al parque.
Correction: With no change of subject, use an infinitive instead: Quiero ir al parque.
Error: Attaching a pronoun to an infinitive or command without the required accent — Explicaselo, por favor.
Correction: Attaching a pronoun usually requires a written accent to preserve the original stress: Explíqueselo, por favor.
Error: Keeping le before a direct object pronoun instead of changing it to se — Le lo voy a explicar.
Correction: Le/les becomes se before lo, la, los, or las: Se lo voy a explicar.
Chapter Review
Parte A — Formación del subjuntivo
1. Conjuga en el presente de subjuntivo: hablar, comer, vivir, tener, ir (tú, nosotros, ustedes).
Parte B — Uso del subjuntivo
1. Escribe una oración con cada categoría: influencia, deseo, necesidad, emoción.
Parte C — Pronombres atados
1. Reescribe con el pronombre atado al infinitivo o al mandato, con el acento correcto: Voy a decirle la verdad; Explique la regla a los niños.
Parte D — Dos pronombres
1. Reescribe con dos pronombres: El comité les explica las reglas a los vecinos.
Practical Performance Task
Tarea práctica — Capítulo 11
Recomendaciones para la comunidad
Complete the following integrated task:
- Submit the written recommendations from the Writing Workshop (eight to ten sentences, all four categories present).
- Answer the four Reading Task questions in writing, based on the model dialogue.
- Complete the Listening Task chart above.
- Present your recommendations aloud to a partner or record yourself, and respond to at least two follow-up questions.
Portafolio del capítulo
- Written recommendations covering influencia, deseo, necesidad, and emoción.
- Completed reading analysis of the model dialogue.
- Completed listening chart.
- Notes or a recording from the speaking task, including the follow-up questions asked and answered.
Answer Key
Grammar Practice — El subjuntivo presente
- visiten
- ponga
- vengan
- Quiero que cuides las plantas.
Grammar Practice — Pronombres
- Voy a decírtela.
- El comité se las explica.
- Explíquela.
Listening Task
Quiero que ustedes cuiden — deseo; es necesario que las guarden — necesidad; me alegra que tantas personas quieran — emoción; me preocupa que perdamos — emoción.
Reading Task — Model Analysis
1. trajera (pidieron que), dígamelas (mandato), ponga, riegue (recomendamos que), hayan pensado (me alegra que), jueguen (es importante que). 2. Voy a explicárselo a sus padres → Se lo voy a explicar a sus padres. 3. Se lo voy a explicar — se refers to a sus padres (indirect object) and lo refers to the recommendation just mentioned (direct object). 4. jueguen follows es importante que with a change of subject (children), while explicar has the same subject as the main verb (Camila), so it stays as an infinitive.
Chapter Review — Parte A
Model answer: hables/hablemos/hablen; comas/comamos/coman; vivas/vivamos/vivan; tengas/tengamos/tengan; vayas/vayamos/vayan.
Chapter Review — Parte B
Model answer: Te recomiendo que hables con el comité (influencia). Espero que te guste el parque nuevo (deseo). Es necesario que alguien riegue las plantas (necesidad). Me alegro de que todo haya salido bien (emoción).
Chapter Review — Parte C
Model answer: Voy a decírsela. Explíquesela.
Chapter Review — Parte D
Model answer: El comité se las explica.
Looking Ahead
Lo que ya sabes
You can now form and use the present subjunctive after expressions of influence, desire, necessity, and emotion, distinguish it from the infinitive when the subject does not change, and attach object and reflexive pronouns correctly to infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative commands, including combining two pronouns in the same sentence. Camila's community can now not only tell its story, but also recommend how to care for what it built.