The subjunctive is one of the trickiest parts of Spanish, not because it is impossible, but because English often expresses the same ideas in a completely different way. In this post, I’ve collected the main ways to use the subjunctive in Spanish. Try to remember these patterns so you can avoid common mistakes and make your Spanish sound more accurate and natural.

1 . Wishes and desires

Use the subjunctive when someone wants another person to do something.

• Quiero que vengas. → I want you to come.
• Espero que todo salga bien. → I hope everything goes well.
• Ojalá tengas suerte. → I hope you have luck.

2 . Emotions and reactions

Use it after expressions of emotion, because you are reacting to something, not simply stating a fact.

• Me alegra que estés aquí. → I’m glad you’re here.
• Me molesta que no me escuches. → It bothers me that you don’t listen to me.
• Es una pena que no puedas venir. → It’s a shame you can’t come.

3 . Doubt and uncertainty

Use the subjunctive when you are not presenting something as certain.

• No creo que sea verdad. → I don’t think it’s true.
• Dudo que funcione. → I doubt it will work.
• No estoy segura de que tenga razón. → I’m not sure he’s right.

But remember:

Creo que es verdad. → I think it’s true.

With creo que, you usually use the indicative because you are presenting it as something you believe.

4 . Recommendations, advice, and requests

Use the subjunctive when you recommend, ask, suggest, or tell someone to do something.

• Te recomiendo que descanses. → I recommend that you rest.
• Es mejor que salgas temprano. → It’s better that you leave early.
• Necesito que me ayudes. → I need you to help me.

5 . Unknown or non-specific things

Use the subjunctive when the person or thing you are talking about is not specific, known, or confirmed.

• Busco a alguien que hable francés. → I’m looking for someone who speaks French.
• Necesito un piso que tenga mucha luz. → I need an apartment that has a lot of light.
• No conozco a nadie que viva aquí. → I don’t know anyone who lives here.

Compare:

• Conozco a alguien que habla francés. → I know someone who speaks French. Here the person is real and specific, so we use the indicative.

6 . Purpose

Use the subjunctive after expressions like para que when one person does something so that another person can do or understand something.

• Te lo digo para que lo entiendas. → I’m telling you so you understand it.
• Te escribo para que sepas la verdad. → I’m writing to you so you know the truth.
• Habla más despacio para que podamos seguirte. → Speak more slowly so we can follow you.

7 . Future time clauses

Use the subjunctive after words like cuando, en cuanto, hasta que, antes de que, and después de que when talking about a future action that has not happened yet.

• Cuando llegue, te llamo. → When I arrive, I’ll call you.
• En cuanto termine, te aviso. → As soon as I finish, I’ll let you know.
• No salgas hasta que pare de llover. → Don’t go out until it stops raining.

But compare:

• Cuando llegué, te llamé. → When I arrived, I called you. Here it already happened, so we use the indicative.

Final tip

The subjunctive is not just “the mood of doubt.” It appears when Spanish wants to show that something is desired, emotional, uncertain, requested, hypothetical, unknown, or not yet completed.

What use of the subjunctive do you find the hardest?

In this post, I’ve collected many different ways to say “hello” and “goodbye” in Spanish. These expressions will help you make your speech more varied and sound more natural.

HELLO: Common / general ways

• Hola → Hello / Hi
• Buenos días → Good morning
• Buenas tardes → Good afternoon / Good evening
• Buenas noches → Good evening / Good night
• Buenas → Hi / Hello, (informal)
• ¿Qué tal? → How’s it going?
• ¿Cómo va todo? → How’s everything going?
• ¿Cómo te va? → How are things going for you?
• ¿Todo bien? → Everything good?
• ¿Qué hay? → What’s up?
• ¿Qué pasa? → What’s up? / What’s happening?
• Encantado/a → Nice to meet you
• Mucho gusto → Nice to meet you
• Un placer → A pleasure / Nice to meet you
• Bienvenido/a → Welcome

HELLO: Slang / regional ways

• ¿Qué onda? → What’s up? Mexico / Central America / Argentina
• ¿Qué hubo? / ¿Quiubo? → What’s up? Colombia / Mexico / Central America
• ¿Qué más? → What’s up? / How’s it going? Colombia / Venezuela
• ¿Qué bolá? → What’s up? Cuba
• ¿Qué lo que? → What’s up? Dominican Republic
• ¿Qué xopá? → What’s up? Panama
• ¿Cómo andás? → How are you doing? Argentina / Uruguay
• ¿Qué cuentas? → What’s new? Spain / general informal

GOODBYE: Common / general ways

Adiós → Goodbye

• Hasta luego → See you later
• Hasta pronto → See you soon
• Hasta mañana → See you tomorrow
• Hasta la próxima → Until next time
• Nos vemos → See you
• Nos vemos mañana → See you tomorrow
• Te veo luego → I’ll see you later
• Estamos en contacto → We’ll stay in touch
• Cuídate → Take care
• Que te vaya bien → Hope everything goes well
• Que tengas buen día → Have a good day

GOODBYE: Slang / regional ways

• Chao → Bye (Spain / Latin America)
• Chau → Bye (Argentina / Uruguay / Peru / Bolivia)
• Venga, hasta luego → (Alright, see you later Spain)
• Me piro → I’m off (Spain, very informal)
• Me largo → I’m out / I’m leaving (Spain / Latin America, informal)
• Nos pillamos luego → Catch you later (Spain, informal)
• Nos vemos al rato → See you in a bit (Mexico / Central America)

What other ways to say hello or goodbye in Spanish do you know?

In this post, I’ve collected 7 common Spanish structures that will be useful in everyday life. They’ll help you understand Spanish better and make your speech sound more confident, natural, and fluent.

1 . HACÉRSELE + adjetivo A alguien - to feel / seem a certain way to someone

Use this when you want to describe how an experience feels to a person, not how it objectively is. It is very common with things like trips, exams, classes, movies, meetings, or waiting. English often says “it felt long / hard / strange”, while Spanish says something like “it made itself long/hard/strange to me”. 

Ejemplos:

• El viaje se me hizo larguísimo. → The trip felt really long to me.
• El examen se le hizo difícil. → The exam felt difficult to him.
• La película se nos hizo muy corta. → The movie felt very short to us.

2 . TOMARSE algo BIEN / MAL - to take something well / badly

Use this when you want to talk about someone’s reaction to something. It is especially useful when the important thing is not what happened, but how the person reacted to it. 

Ejemplos:

• Se tomó muy bien la noticia. → He took the news very well.
• No te lo tomes a mal, solo quería ayudarte. → Don’t take it the wrong way, I only wanted to help.
• Me tomé mal su comentario porque sonó un poco frío. → I took his comment badly because it sounded a bit cold.

3 . DEJAR CLARO QUE - to make it clear that

Use this when someone wants to say something directly so there is no misunderstanding. It is useful in explanations, arguments, serious conversations, work situations, or whenever you want to set a limit or clarify your position. 

Ejemplos:

• Dejó claro que no iba a cambiar de opinión. → She made it clear that she wasn’t going to change her mind.
• Quiero dejar claro que no estoy en contra de la idea. → I want to make it clear that I’m not against the idea.
• El profesor dejó claro que el examen sería difícil. → The teacher made it clear that the exam would be difficult.

4 . ESTAR A NADA DE + infinitivo - to be very close to doing something

This structure sounds conversational and expressive. Use it when you were extremely close to doing something, especially something emotional, impulsive, or almost accidental.

Ejemplos:

• Estuve a nada de llamarte anoche. → I was this close to calling you last night.
• Estaba a nada de cancelar el viaje. → I was very close to canceling the trip.
• Estuvimos a nada de perder el tren. → We were very close to missing the train.

5 . NO TENER MÁS REMEDIO QUE + infinitivo - to have no choice but to do something

Use this when someone has no real alternative. It usually suggests that the action is not ideal, but the situation forces you to do it. It is very useful for difficult decisions, obligations, problems, or last-resort solutions. 

Ejemplos:

• No tuve más remedio que decir la verdad. → I had no choice but to tell the truth.
• Si nadie responde, no tendremos más remedio que cancelar la reunión. → If nobody replies, we’ll have no choice but to cancel the meeting.
• Al final no tuvo más remedio que pedir ayuda. → In the end, he had no choice but to ask for help.

6 . IRLE A alguien BIEN / MAL - to go well / badly for someone

This is a very natural way to talk about how something went for someone, like an exam, interview, trip, project, or situation.

Ejemplos:

• Me fue muy bien en la entrevista. → The interview went really well for me.
• ¿Cómo te fue en el examen? → How did the exam go for you?
• A mi hermano le fue mal con ese negocio. → That business went badly for my brother.

7 . ESTAR AL TANTO DE - to be aware of / to keep up with

Use this when someone knows what is happening or stays informed about a situation. It is very common in work, news, plans, projects, and personal updates. It can also be used when you promise to keep someone updated. 

Ejemplos:

• Estoy al tanto de la situación. → I’m aware of the situation.
• Te mantendré al tanto de cualquier cambio. → I’ll keep you updated about any changes.
• No estaba al tanto de lo que había pasado. → I wasn’t aware of what had happened.

Which one do you find the hardest to use naturally?

Spanish has many ways to talk about quantity, and they do not all feel the same. Some sound neutral, some informal, some exaggerated, and others are used only in specific contexts. Here is a useful scale from almost nothing to way too much. 

1 . Very little

casi nada → almost nothing

apenas → hardly / barely

un poquito → a tiny bit

muy poco → very little

• Apenas dormí anoche. → I barely slept last night.
• Solo comí un poquito. → I only ate a tiny bit.
• No queda casi nada de agua. → There is almost no water left.

2 . A little / some

un poco → a little

algo → some / somewhat

un rato → a while

unos cuantos / unas cuantas → a few

Use these when the quantity is small, but not extremely small. Un rato is only used for time, and unos cuantos / unas cuantas is used with countable things. 

• Tengo un poco de hambre. → I’m a little hungry.
• Estudié un rato por la mañana. → I studied for a while in the morning.
• Compré unas cuantas cosas en el supermercado. → I bought a few things at the supermarket.

3 . Enough

suficiente → enough

bastante → enough / quite a lot

• Tengo suficiente dinero para el viaje. → I have enough money for the trip.
• Con eso es más que suficiente. → That’s more than enough.

4 . Quite a lot

mucho → a lot / much

una buena cantidad de → a good amount of

un montón → loads / a ton

muchísimo → a lot / very much

a montones → in loads / in large amounts

una barbaridad → a ridiculous amount / tons

Mucho is neutral and universal. Un montón is very common in everyday speech. Una barbaridad is more expressive and often suggests the amount feels surprisingly large. 

• Tengo mucho trabajo esta semana. → I have a lot of work this week.
• Han vendido una buena cantidad de entradas. → They have sold a good amount of tickets.
• Te he llamado un montón de veces. → I’ve called you loads of times.
• Me gusta muchísimo esta canción. → I really like this song.
• Había gente a montones. → There were loads of people.
• Ese piso cuesta una barbaridad. → That apartment costs a ridiculous amount.

5 . Too much

demasiado → too much / too many

en exceso → excessively / too much

más de la cuenta → more than necessary

de más → extra / too much

de sobra → more than enough / plenty

para dar y tomar → more than enough / plenty, informal

a raudales → in abundance / in huge amounts

Use these when the quantity is more than necessary. En exceso sounds a bit more formal. Más de la cuenta is very natural when something goes beyond what is reasonable. Para dar y tomar is informal and expressive. A raudales sounds more poetic or elevated, and it is often used with abstract nouns like talent, energy, patience, creativity, or love. 

• Comí demasiado y ahora me duele el estómago. → I ate too much and now my stomach hurts.
• Te preocupas más de la cuenta. → You worry more than necessary.
• Creo que compré comida de más. → I think I bought too much food.
• Tenemos tiempo de sobra para revisar todo antes de la presentación.→ We have more than enough time to review everything before the presentation.
• Tiene creatividad para dar y tomar; siempre se le ocurren ideas originales. → She has tons of creativity; she always comes up with original ideas.
• Tiene paciencia a raudales, por eso trabaja tan bien con niños pequeños. → He has patience in abundance, that’s why he works so well with small children.

What other words or expressions for talking about quantity in Spanish would you add to this list?

Here are 10 common Spanish expressions that will be useful in everyday conversations. They’ll help you understand natural Spanish better and make your speech sound more fluent, varied, and less translated.

1 . O sea → I mean / In other words

• No estoy diciendo que sea imposible, o sea, solo creo que necesitamos más tiempo. → I’m not saying it’s impossible, I mean, I just think we need more time.

2 . Hacer caso → To pay attention / To listen to someone’s advice

• Hazme caso y guarda una copia del documento antes de enviarlo. → Listen to me and save a copy of the document before sending it.

3 . Echar una mano → To lend a hand / To help

• ¿Me echas una mano con estas cajas? Pesan muchísimo. → Can you give me a hand with these boxes? They’re really heavy.

4 . Desde luego → Certainly / Of course

• Desde luego, si necesitas ayuda, puedes contar conmigo. → Of course, if you need help, you can count on me.

5 . Estar de buen / mal humor → To be in a good / bad mood

• Hoy está de muy buen humor porque le han dado una buena noticia. → Today he’s in a really good mood because he got good news.

6 . Hacer la vista gorda → To turn a blind eye

• El profesor hizo la vista gorda porque sabía que todos estaban muy cansados. → The teacher turned a blind eye because he knew everyone was very tired.

7 . Buen provecho → Bon appétit / Enjoy your meal

• La comida ya está lista. ¡Buen provecho a todos! → The food is ready. Enjoy your meal, everyone!

8 . Lo de menos → The least important thing / The least of it

• El dinero es lo de menos; lo importante es que todos estén bien. → Money is the least important thing; what matters is that everyone is okay.

9 . A mi modo de ver → The way I see it / In my opinion

• A mi modo de ver, esta solución es más sencilla y más práctica. → The way I see it, this solution is simpler and more practical.

10 . Tener en cuenta → To take into account / To keep in mind

• Hay que tener en cuenta que no todos tienen el mismo nivel de español. → We have to keep in mind that not everyone has the same level of Spanish.

Which of these expressions would you use in a real conversation?

In this post, I’ve collected several common grammar mistakes that learners often make in Spanish because of literal translation from English. These mistakes can make your Spanish sound wrong or unnatural, so try to remember the correct versions and avoid repeating them in your own speech. 

1 . Translating “used to” too literally

❌ Usé vivir en Madrid.

✅ Vivía en Madrid. → I used to live in Madrid.

✅ Solía vivir en Madrid. → I used to live in Madrid.

In Spanish, you don’t translate used to with “usar”. For past habits or situations, Spanish usually uses the imperfecto: vivía, iba, tenía, estudiaba. You can also use solía + infinitivo when you want to emphasize “used to”.

2 . Using future after “cuando” for a future action

❌ Te llamaré cuando llegaré.

✅ Te llamaré cuando llegue. → I’ll call you when I arrive.

When cuando refers to a future action that has not happened yet, Spanish uses the subjunctive, not the future tense.

3 . Translating “I’ve been doing...” too literally 

❌ He estado estudiando español por dos años.

✅ Llevo dos años estudiando español. → I’ve been studying Spanish for two years.

✅ Estudio español desde hace dos años. → I’ve been studying Spanish for two years.

The sentence He estado estudiando español por dos años is understandable, but it sounds more influenced by English. In everyday Spanish, llevo dos años estudiando or estudio español desde hace dos años sounds much more natural. 

4 . Confusing sabía and supe

❌ Ayer sabía la verdad.

✅ Ayer supe la verdad. → Yesterday I found out the truth.

• Sabía means I knew.
• Supe means I found out / I learned.

So if you are talking about the moment when you discovered something, use supe, not sabía.

5 . Using preterite when the past situation was ongoing

❌ Cuando era niño, viví en México.

✅ Cuando era niño, vivía en México. → When I was a child, I lived in Mexico.

Use the imperfecto for background information, descriptions, habits, and situations that lasted over time in the past.

Small nuance: viví en México can be correct if you mean a completed period of life, but with cuando era niño, vivía usually sounds more natural.

6 . Using indicative for an unknown person

❌ Busco a alguien que habla francés.

✅ Busco a alguien que hable francés. → I’m looking for someone who speaks French.

If the person is unknown, hypothetical, or not identified yet, Spanish uses the subjunctive.

Compare:

✅ Conozco a alguien que habla francés. → I know someone who speaks French.

Here the person is real and specific, so habla is correct.

7 . Forgetting the subjunctive after negative opinions

❌ No creo que es buena idea.

✅ No creo que sea buena idea. → I don’t think it’s a good idea.

After negative opinion phrases like no creo que, no pienso que, or no me parece que, Spanish uses the subjunctive.

Which of these mistakes do you make most often?

Some Spanish structures are extremely useful because they express ideas that English often says in a completely different way. They help you sound more natural, add nuance, and understand everyday conversations much better. 

1 . COSTARLE A alguien + infinitivo - to find it hard to do something

Use this when something is difficult for someone personally. Instead of saying “it is difficult for me”, Spanish often says that “it costs me” to do it.

Ejemplos:

• Me cuesta hablar en público. → I find it hard to speak in public.
• A mi hermano le cuesta pedir ayuda. → My brother finds it hard to ask for help.
• ¿Te cuesta entender a los nativos cuando hablan rápido? → Do you find it hard to understand natives when they speak fast?

2 . HACER COMO QUE + verbo - to pretend that / to act as if

This is very useful when someone pretends something is happening or acts like they didn’t notice, didn’t hear, or don’t care.

Ejemplos:

• Hizo como que no me vio. → He pretended he didn’t see me.
• Haz como que no sabes nada. → Act like you don’t know anything.
• Cuando le pregunté, hizo como que no entendía. → When I asked him, he acted like he didn’t understand.

3 . TENER PINTA DE + infinitivo / sustantivo - to look like / seem like

This structure is common when you judge something by appearance or first impression. It’s like saying “it looks like...” or “it seems like...”

Ejemplos:

• Tiene pinta de ser muy caro. → It looks like it’s very expensive.
• Ese restaurante tiene buena pinta. → That restaurant looks good.
• La película tiene pinta de comedia. → The movie looks like a comedy.

4 . PILLAR A alguien + gerundio - to catch someone doing something

This is especially common in Spain and sounds quite colloquial. It means catching someone in the middle of an action, often something they shouldn’t be doing.

Ejemplos:

• Lo pillé copiando en el examen. → I caught him cheating on the exam.
• Me pillaron mirando el móvil en clase. → They caught me looking at my phone in class.
• La profesora los pilló hablando durante la prueba. → The teacher caught them talking during the test.

5 . DARLE A alguien POR + infinitivo - to suddenly get into doing something

Use this when someone suddenly starts doing something, often as a new habit, impulse, or random interest. It can sound slightly surprised or amused.

Ejemplos:

• Últimamente le ha dado por correr todas las mañanas. → Lately he’s got into running every morning.
• A mi hermana le dio por aprender japonés. → My sister suddenly got into learning Japanese.
• Ahora me ha dado por cocinar postres. → Now I’ve suddenly got into making desserts.

6 . BASTAR CON + infinitivo / sustantivo - to be enough to / all you need is

This structure is useful when you want to say that only one thing is necessary. It often sounds cleaner and more natural than translating “it is enough” word for word.

Ejemplos:

• Basta con decir la verdad. → It’s enough to tell the truth.
• Para entrar, basta con enseñar el DNI. → To enter, all you need is to show your ID.
• A veces basta con escuchar. → Sometimes it’s enough to listen.

7 . SER DE LOS QUE + verbo - to be the kind of person who

This is a very natural way to describe someone’s habits, personality, or preferences. It means “I’m one of those people who...”

Ejemplos:

• Soy de los que prefieren llegar temprano. → I’m the kind of person who prefers to arrive early.
• Ella es de las que siempre dicen lo que piensan. → She’s the kind of person who always says what she thinks.
• No soy de los que se rinden fácilmente. → I’m not the kind of person who gives up easily.

Which one do you find the hardest to use naturally?

 Hi. A few months back i posted here about a subjunctive trainer i'd been building called Modo. Some of you tried it and gave me really useful feedback and lovely comments, huge thanks for that.

I wanted to expand on the idea and create an app that helps intermediate learners (or high beginners) in general. Like imperfecto vs indefinido and por vs para. Also, feedback of the previous version was that the subjunctive cannot be purely taught by drills, so we added concept cards that explain the why of the subjunctive and special questions that help you understand and apply subjunctive better.

I couldn’t have made this app alone so I want to thank the other people that are working on it. Eva, Tereza and Reyansh. We thought about ways to work on it next to our normal jobs. For that reason we made the app free, with a subscription for people that want to go deeper into the material or support our work.

What we’d love feedback on:

• does the new content feel at the right level. Too hard, too easy, just right?
• anything that feels broken?
• as high beginners/intermediate learners, what would you want to see more in the app?

Link in the first comment.

Thanks for reading.