Subjunctive with Wishes and Desires

The most intuitive use of the subjunctive is with wishes and desires. When you want someone else to do something, you are not stating a fact — you are expressing a desire. This is the "W" in the WEIRDO acronym.

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The Core Structure

The structure for wishes and desires follows a clear pattern:

Subject 1 + verb of wishing + que + Subject 2 + subjunctive verb

Part	Role	Example
Subject 1	The person wishing	Yo
Verb of wishing	The desire/wish	quiero
que	Connector	que
Subject 2	The person being wished about	tú
Subjunctive verb	The desired action	vengas

Yo quiero que tú vengas. — I want you to come.

Remember the two-subject rule: The subjunctive appears because there are two different subjects. If the subject is the same, use the infinitive: Yo quiero ir (I want to go).

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Key Verbs of Wishing

QUERER QUE (to want)

This is the most common wish verb. It always triggers the subjunctive when followed by "que":

• Quiero que estudies más. — I want you to study more.
• Queremos que vengan a la fiesta. — We want them to come to the party.
• ¿Quieres que te ayude? — Do you want me to help you?
• Mi madre quiere que yo limpie mi cuarto. — My mother wants me to clean my room.
• No quiero que salgas esta noche. — I don't want you to go out tonight.

DESEAR QUE (to wish/desire)

More formal than querer, but the structure is identical:

• Deseo que tengas un buen día. — I wish you a good day.
• Deseamos que todo salga bien. — We hope everything goes well.
• Desean que haya paz en el mundo. — They wish for there to be peace in the world.

ESPERAR QUE (to hope)

Esperar means both "to hope" and "to wait." When it means "to hope" and is followed by "que," it takes the subjunctive:

• Espero que estés bien. — I hope you are well.
• Esperamos que llueva pronto. — We hope it rains soon.
• Espero que te guste el regalo. — I hope you like the gift.
• ¿Esperas que cambie de opinión? — Do you expect him to change his mind?

PREFERIR QUE (to prefer)

• Prefiero que hablemos en español. — I prefer that we speak in Spanish.
• Mis padres prefieren que estudie medicina. — My parents prefer that I study medicine.
• ¿Prefieres que vayamos al cine o al teatro? — Do you prefer that we go to the cinema or the theatre?

NECESITAR QUE (to need)

• Necesito que me ayudes con esto. — I need you to help me with this.
• Necesitamos que lleguen a tiempo. — We need them to arrive on time.
• ¿Necesitas que te explique otra vez? — Do you need me to explain again?

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More Verbs of Wishing

Verb	Meaning	Example
pedir que	to ask/request that	Te pido que seas puntual.
rogar que	to beg that	Te ruego que me perdones.
suplicar que	to plead that	Te suplico que no te vayas.
exigir que	to demand that	Exijo que me digan la verdad.
insistir en que	to insist that	Insisto en que vengas.
mandar que	to order that	El profesor manda que hagamos la tarea.
ordenar que	to order that	El juez ordena que se presente ante el tribunal.
aconsejar que	to advise that	Te aconsejo que estudies más.
recomendar que	to recommend that	Te recomiendo que pruebes este plato.
sugerir que	to suggest that	Sugiero que salgamos temprano.
proponer que	to propose that	Propongo que votemos.
permitir que	to allow that	No permito que fumes aquí.
prohibir que	to forbid that	Prohíbo que usen el teléfono en clase.