⇒ The subjunctive (el subjuntivo) is one of three moods in Spanish, and it is often used to talk about emotions.
⇒ Many of the verbs and phrases that require the subjunctive fit into the acronym WEIRDO: Wishes, Emotions, Impersonal expressions, Recommendations, Doubt/Denial, and Ojalá
⇒ In these notes, we're going to take a look at emotions.
⇒ All sorts of emotion, including annoyance, anger, happiness, regret, sadness, fear, surprise, and ecstasy fall into this category.
⇒ In essence, any personal reaction to a situation is emotional.
⇒ The focus is not on a factual observation of a situation, but how it makes the subject feel. Since how a person feels is always subjective, you use the subjunctive.
⇒ The following verbs are commonly used to express emotion.
| Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| alegrarse de | to be glad | gustar | to like |
| quejarse | to complain | encantar | to be delighted |
| lamentar | to regret | sentir | to feel |
| enojar | to be angry | maravillar | to astonish |
| sorprender | to surprise | estar contento, enojado, triste, etc. | to be glad, angry, sad, etc. |
| molestar | to annoy | temer | to fear |
| tener miedo de que | to be afraid that | extrañarse que | to be amazed that |
⇒ Check out these examples of emotion verbs being used with the subjunctive.
| Me alegro de que sonrías.It makes me happy that you smile. |
| ¿Les molesta que él escuche la música fuerte?Does it bother you that he listens to loud music? |
| Siento mucho que no puedan venir a la fiesta.I’m sorry that they can’t come to the party. |
⇒ You can find more on the differences between the subjunctive and the indicative here!