Kilo Lingo
Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 19

CEFR B1-B2

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Test yourself (25 questions)

Spanish Subjunctive After Wishes: quiero que, ojalá

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 12 October 2026

When you want, hope or need someone else to do something, Spanish uses + the subjunctive. When it is the same person, it uses the infinitive:

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

subjunctive, someone else actsinfinitive, the same person actsWhat do the colours mean?
  • . - I want you to come.
  • . - I want to come.

Wishes at a glance

TriggerSpanishEnglish
.I want you to come.
.I hope you' well.
.I'd rather you did it.
.I need you to help me.
.I'm asking you to come.
.I hope it's true.
same person .I want to come.

A wish is not a fact yet, and the subjunctive is the mood for what is not yet real. On the AQA GCSE this is Higher tier.

The trigger verbs

From hoping to needing, every verb that pushes someone else to act takes the subjunctive:

How hard you push
SoftStrong
  1. espero queI hope
  2. quiero queI want
  3. te pido queI’m asking you
  4. necesito queI need
  • . - I hope you arrive soon.
  • . - I'm asking you to listen to me.
  • . - I need you to tell me the truth.
  • . - I wish you luck.

Decir que: telling, or reporting

takes the subjunctive when it passes on an order, and the indicative when it reports a fact:

MeaningSpanishEnglish
an order .My mother says you should come.
a fact .My mother says you' coming.
an order .Tell him to come.

Different subjects: que + subjunctive

Ask who does the second verb. Someone else: + subjunctive. The same person: the infinitive, with no :

Wish
que
Second verb
()
empty
()
Who actsSpanishEnglish
someone else .I want you to study more.
same person .I want to study more.
someone else .He/she hopes we win.
same person .He/she hopes to win.
someone else .I'd rather you stayed at home.
same person .I'd rather stay at home.

English says to study in both I want to study and I want you to study, which is why learners put where it does not belong. Spanish never uses + infinitive here.

is the one loose verb: . (I hope I can go) is the standard form, though you will also hear . with the same meaning. The infinitive is never wrong.

Ojalá

subjunctive, someone else actsinfinitive, the same person actsWhat do the colours mean?

means I hope or if only. It is not a verb, and the subjunctive always follows it: the present subjunctive for a hope about now or later. The is optional:

  • . - I hope he/she comes.
  • . - I hope you' right.
  • . - I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow.
  • . - I hope it's true.

On its own it is a whole answer:

  • ¿ ? ¡! - Are you coming tomorrow? I hope so!
SpanishEnglishNote
.I hope he/she comes.a verb: I hope
.I hope he/she comes.no verb, no subject
.I hope to come.the same person

The word comes from the Arabic of -Andalus, roughly if God wills, and it still hopes for something out of your hands.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
after the trigger: subjunctive
the same person: infinitive
never + infinitive
someone else needs
takes the subjunctive

What to do next

  1. Say three things you want other people to do, with .
  2. Do the story and sort drills below.
  3. Next, the subjunctive after emotion: me .

Practise: test yourself

Complete the story

0/5

Choose the verb form for each gap.

Two plans for one life

Mi madre quiere que yo médico, pero yo quiero música. Ella espera que me en casa, pero yo prefiero a Madrid. Ojalá ella mi decisión.

Gap 1 of 5

Sort into groups

0/8

Is the person who wants the same person who does the second verb?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Spot the mistake

0/4

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

Pick the right one

0/6

Does the gap need the subjunctive or the infinitive?

  1. Quiero a casa pronto. (ir: I want to go)

  2. Quiero que tú a casa. (ir)

  3. Espera pronto. (llegar: she hopes to arrive)

  4. Espera que nosotros pronto. (llegar)

  5. Necesito que ellos más. (trabajar)

  6. Ojalá verdad. (ser)

Put the words in order

0/2

Put the words in order.

  1. I hope you're well.

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. I need you to help me.

    Your sentence is empty.

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Frequently asked questions

When does trigger the subjunctive?
When you want someone else to do something, because the two halves then have different subjects: (I want you to come). When you want to do it yourself, Spanish uses the infinitive with : (I want to come). Different people, + subjunctive; the same person, the infinitive.
What does and which mood follows it?
means I hope, or if only, and the subjunctive always follows it; for a hope about now or later, the present subjunctive: (I hope he or she comes). The is optional: is just as good. On its own it answers a question: ¿ ? ¡! (are you coming tomorrow? I hope so!).
Why is ' ' wrong?
Twice over. After the verb must be subjunctive, so would have to be . But if you are the one going, there should be at all: (I want to go). means I want him or her to go.
Which verbs trigger the subjunctive like ?
Any verb of wanting or getting someone to act: , , , , , , and when it means telling someone to do something: (tell him to come). All of them take + subjunctive when the subject changes.
What is the difference between and ?
reports a fact: he or she says that someone is coming. passes on an order or a request: he or she says someone should come. The indicative reports, the subjunctive tells someone what to do.