The Subjunctive Mood: Setting Priorities
Up to now, you have used the indicative mood to talk about facts and certainties. To express advice, possibilities, or priorities, Spanish uses a different mood: the subjunctive.
One of the most common ways to trigger the subjunctive is with impersonal expressions. These are general statements starting with es (it is), an adjective, and the word que (that).
| It is important that you do the work immediately. | Es importante que ustedes hagan el trabajo inmediatamente. |
| It is fundamental that you evaluate the proposal. | Es fundamental que evalúes la propuesta. |
Notice how the verbs after que change their usual present tense endings (like hagan instead of hacen, or evalúes instead of evalúas). This vowel swap is the hallmark of the present subjunctive.
Giving Advice and Expressing Possibility
You can use different adjectives in the es... que structure to give recommendations or state how likely an outcome is.
For advice:
| It is advisable that we begin the process immediately. | Es aconsejable que comencemos el proceso inmediatamente. |
For probability and possibility:
| It is probable that he will approve the measure. | Es probable que él apruebe la medida. |
| It is possible that you arrive early, but I will have lunch ready. | Es posible que llegues temprano, pero tendré el almuerzo listo. |
For impossibilities:
| It is impossible for us to finish the proposal today. | Es imposible que terminemos la propuesta hoy. |
Key Takeaway: Whenever you state a priority, necessity, or probability using es [adjective] que, the following verb must be in the subjunctive mood.