Indicative vs. Subjunctive Overview

Spanish Verb Moods:

Indicative vs. Subjunctive

When learning Spanish, one of the first big distinctions you’ll face is mood. Spanish verbs are grouped into moods, which reflect how the action is expressed — not just when.

*The two most important moods for learners are the Indicative and the Subjunctive.

Indicative = certainty, facts, habits, descriptions.
Subjunctive = uncertainty, desire, doubt, emotions, hypothetical situations.

*Note:

Many learners wonder what’s the difference between Spanish tenses.

In short:

Tenses are distinguished from each other because of their endings.
Each tense places an action at a specific moment in time (past, present, or future).
Each mood tells us the attitude of the speaker toward the action.

The Indicative Mood

Spanish indicative tenses are the foundation for beginners. They help you express real, certain, and objective information. Below are the tenses in this mood, with explanations and conjugation patterns.

The Subjunctive Mood

While the Indicative expresses certainty and facts, the Subjunctive is about doubt, wishes, emotions, possibilities, and subjectivity. It’s one of the trickiest parts of Spanish for learners because it doesn’t always translate directly into English.

Think of it this way:

Indicative = what is (facts, real events).

Subjunctive = what might be (wishes, doubts, hypotheticals).

* Note: This is just a quick overview of the Spanish tenses and moods. Don’t worry—we’ll dive deeper into each one on its own page with clear explanations and examples.

Knowing When to use the Indicative:

Indicative → This is a tense system. It tells you when something happens (past, present, or future) and is used for facts, certainties, and real events. Simply put, this also mood, refers to habits, facts, memories, descriptions, states, and actions we perceive or believe to be real.

Example: Marta estudia todos los días.

→ Marta studies every day.

The indicative is all about certainty and reality. We use it when the speaker presents something as real, factual, or believable—whether it’s objectively true or not.

Examples:

El chocolate ayuda a la concentración.
→ Chocolate helps with concentration.
Mi vecino ganó la lotería.
→ My neighbor won the lottery.

How do we know when to use the indicative?

This chart can serve as a quick reference guide for identifying situations that typically require the use of the indicative mood in Spanish. Use the “SPOCK” acronym to help you remember when to use the indicative in Spanish.

1. Spanish Present Tense

The present tense shows actions happening now or habits that repeat.

Used for:

Talking about current habits & routines.
Describing characteristics of people or objects.
Referring to actions happening as you speak.

Conjugation patterns:

Examples:

Visito a mis amigos los domingos. → I visit my friends on Sundays.
Sandy y Peter hablan alemán. → Sandy and Peter speak German.
¿No comen carne? → Don’t you guys eat meat?

2. Preterite Tense

The preterite is a past tense used for actions that happened once and are complete.

Examples:

Esteban y yo fuimos al cine. → Esteban and I went to the movies.
Raquel cantó en la fiesta de Kelly. → Raquel sang at Kelly’s party.
Mis primos nacieron en 1998. → My cousins were born in 1998.

Conjugation endings:

Take Note: Accent marks matter! They distinguish preterite forms.

3. Imperfect Tense

The imperfect also expresses the past, but for ongoing, habitual, or descriptive actions without a clear beginning or end.

Used for:

Time in the past (Eran las ocho. → It was eight o’clock.)
Age in the past (Tenía diez años. → I was ten years old.)
Descriptions & background details.

Examples:

Esa noche hacía mucho frío. → That night was very cold.
A los chicos no les gustaba jugar con nosotras. → The boys didn’t like to play with us.
Elizabeth era la más chaparrita del salón. → Elizabeth was the shortest in the class.

Tip: Only 3 irregular verbs in the imperfect: ir, ser, ver.

4. Future Tense

Used to describe actions that will happen. Easy to learn because endings are the same for all -AR, -ER, -IR verbs.

Endings:

Examples:

Yo no iré a trabajar mañana. → I won’t go to work tomorrow.
La semana que viene viajaremos a Perú. → Next week we’ll travel to Peru.
Mañana conocerás a mi familia. → Tomorrow you’ll meet my family.

Note: Irregular verbs have stem changes, but same endings.

5. Conditional Tense

The conditional expresses:

Wishes (Me gustaría viajar más. → I would like to travel more.)
Hypotheticals (Si pudiera, lo haría. → If I could, I would.)
Politeness (¿Podrías ayudarme? → Could you help me?)

Conjugation endings (add to infinitive):

6. Compound Indicative Tenses

Formed with haber + past participle.

Present perfect → Nunca he probado la cerveza. → I have never tried beer.
Pluperfect → Ya habían comido. → They had already eaten.
Future perfect → Para el jueves, me habré mudado. → By Thursday, I will have moved.
Conditional perfect → Habría ido, pero no sabía. → I would have gone, but I didn’t know.

This is the Indicative: the backbone of Spanish for everyday communication. Once you’re comfortable here, the Subjunctive opens the door to expressing doubt, emotions, and uncertainty.

Knowing When to use the Subjunctive:

Subjunctive → This is a mood, not a tense. Instead of focusing on when an action happens, it expresses the speaker’s attitude — it is used when there's doubt, hope, emotion, uncertainty, or possibility. Instead of stating facts, it expresses how the speaker feels about a situation or whether it’s possible, hoped for, or not guaranteed.

Example: Espero que Marta estudie hoy.

→ I hope Marta studies today.

We use the Subjunctive mainly in dependent clauses (the second part of a sentence introduced by “que”).

Examples:

Quiero que vengas. → I want you to come.
Es posible que llueva. → It’s possible that it will rain.
No creo que tengan razón. → I don’t think they’re right.

So, how do we know when to use the Subjunctive?

This chart can serve as a quick reference guide for identifying situations that typically require the use of the subjunctive mood in Spanish. Use the “WEIRDOS” acronym to help you remember when to use the subjunctive in Spanish.

1.Present Subjunctive

The present subjunctive is used for actions in the present or future that are uncertain, desired, or influenced by another person’s will.

Formation rule:
Take the yo form of the present indicative, drop the “-o,” and add opposite endings:

Examples:

Espero que me llames. → I hope you call me.
Dudo que tengan suficiente dinero. → I doubt they have enough money.
Ojalá que haga sol mañana. → Hopefully it will be sunny tomorrow.

2. Imperfect Subjunctive

Used to describe hypothetical or unlikely actions in the past, or to express politeness and formality.

Formation rule:
Take the third person plural of the preterite, drop “-ron,” and add endings:

Examples:

Si tuviera dinero, viajaría por el mundo. → If I had money, I would travel the world.
No creía que fuera posible. → I didn’t think it was possible.
Quería que vinieras conmigo. → I wanted you to come with me.

3. Present Perfect Subjunctive

This tense expresses actions that may have happened in the past but are connected to the present moment, in a context of uncertainty or subjectivity.

Formula: Haber (present subjunctive) + past participle

Examples:

No creo que hayan terminado el proyecto. → I don’t think they have finished the project.
Es bueno que hayas venido. → It’s good that you came.

4. Pluperfect Subjunctive

Used to talk about actions that could have happened differently in the past, often paired with the conditional perfect.

Formula: Haber (imperfect subjunctive) + past participle

Examples:

Si hubieras estudiado más, habrías pasado el examen. → If you had studied more, you would have passed the test.
Ojalá que hubiera habido más tiempo. → I wish there had been more time.

...phew, that was A LOT of information, let's Recap:

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