Setting Strict Conditions
When you set personal boundaries or negotiate agreements, you often say things like "I will do this, provided that you do that."
In Spanish, conjunctions that establish a strict condition for an action to happen always trigger the subjunctive in the clause that follows. This is because the condition is a hypothetical requirement for the agreement, not an established fact.
Con tal (de) que
The phrase con tal de que means "provided that" or "as long as." Use it to emphasize that your agreement hinges entirely on the condition being met.
| We can share the apartment provided that we establish the chores. | Podemos compartir el departamento con tal de que establezcamos los quehaceres. |
| I am going to continue living here provided that you clean the kitchen. | Voy a seguir viviendo aquí con tal de que limpies la cocina. |
Siempre y cuando & Siempre que
You can also use siempre y cuando or siempre que to express "as long as." These are extremely common in everyday negotiations and work identically to con tal de que—they set a firm boundary and must be followed by the subjunctive.
| I accept the rules as long as you respect my space. | Acepto las reglas siempre y cuando respetes mi espacio. |
| We can live together in peace provided that nobody invades the private space. | Podemos convivir en paz siempre que nadie invada el espacio privado. |
| I accept, as long as you do not enter my room without knocking. | Acepto, siempre y cuando no entres a mi cuarto sin tocar la puerta. |
Reacting to Agreements
Once you have negotiated the rules, you might want to share your thoughts on them. Expressions that evaluate a situation or express an emotion—like ¡Qué bueno que...! (How good that...!) or ¡Qué importante que...! (How important that...!)—also require the subjunctive.
| How good that we establish reasonable rules! | ¡Qué bueno que establezcamos reglas razonables! |
| How important that we agree on the chores! | ¡Qué importante que acordemos los quehaceres! |