Spanish · Chapter 19 · Lesson 15 · Grammar primer
The subjunctive after wishes
querer que, esperar que, ojala - the subjunctive of wanting and hoping, and the different-subjects rule that triggers it (quiero que vengas, not quiero venir).
The short version
Different subjects or no que at all
The trigger only fires when the two clauses have different subjects. Quiero que vengas needs the subjunctive because I want and you come. Quiero venir takes a bare infinitive, because it is all me. English hides the rule by using 'to come' for both, which is exactly why learners over-produce que. Ask who is doing the second verb.
Quiero que vengas.
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