Extension to: Present SubjunctiveIntermediate

120+ Spanish Subjunctive Triggers

Complete reference list organised by category

The rule at a glance

trigger + que + subjunctive

Remember WEIRDO: Wishes · Emotions · Impersonal expressions · Recommendations · Doubt · Ojalá

Wishes and advice
quiero que, te recomiendo que
Quiero que vengas a mi fiesta.
I want you to come to my party.
Emotions and value judgements
me alegro de que, es importante que
Me alegro de que estés aquí.
I'm glad you're here.
Doubt and denial
dudo que, no creo que
No creo que sea verdad.
I don't think it's true.
Time and purpose
cuando, para que, antes de que
Cuando llegues, llámame.
Call me when you arrive.

Verbs of wishing need a change of subject: Quiero que vayas (I want you to go), but Quiero ir (I want to go).
Belief takes the indicative, doubt the subjunctive: Creo que es verdad but No creo que sea verdad.
Cuando + a future event = subjunctive: Cuando tenga dinero, compraré un coche. For habits, use the indicative: Cuando tengo tiempo, leo.

What You'll Learn

Reference 132 subjunctive triggers organised by category
Understand the WEIRDO+ system for remembering triggers
Filter triggers by category to focus your study
Apply the golden rule: trigger + que = subjunctive

Overview

This is a comprehensive list of Spanish subjunctive triggers, with 132 phrases organised into 10 categories. Use this as a quick reference when writing or speaking Spanish.

🎯 The Golden Rule

When you see any of these triggers followed by que, the verb in the subordinate clause must be in the subjunctive mood:

Quiero que vengas

→ I want you to come

💡 Memory Tip: WEIRDO

The classic mnemonic covers the main verb-based triggers:
Wishes · Emotions · Impersonal expressions · Recommendations · Doubt · Ojalá

This list expands WEIRDO with Time, Condition, Concession, Fixed expressions, and Adverbs.

Deep Dive

Complete Trigger List (Filterable)

Click any category button to filter the list, or scroll through all 132 triggers.

Spanish	English	Category
querer que	to want (that)	Wish
desear que	to wish (that)	Wish
esperar que	to hope (that)	Wish
preferir que	to prefer (that)	Wish
ojalá (que)	hopefully / I wish	Wish
alegrarse de que	to be happy that	Emotion
gustar que	to like that	Emotion
encantar que	to love that	Emotion
molestar que	to bother that	Emotion
sorprender que	to surprise that	Emotion
preocupar que	to worry that	Emotion
temer que	to fear that	Emotion
tener miedo de que	to be afraid that	Emotion
sentir que	to regret that	Emotion
lamentar que	to regret that	Emotion
dar miedo que	to scare that	Emotion
dar gusto que	to please that	Emotion
enfadar que	to anger that	Emotion
extrañar que	to find strange that	Emotion
maravillar que	to amaze that	Emotion
interesar que	to interest that	Emotion
estar contento de que	to be happy that	Emotion
estar triste de que	to be sad that	Emotion
estar enfadado de que	to be angry that	Emotion
es importante que	it's important that	Impersonal
es necesario que	it's necessary that	Impersonal
es posible que	it's possible that	Impersonal
es imposible que	it's impossible that	Impersonal
es probable que	it's probable that	Impersonal
es improbable que	it's improbable that	Impersonal
es bueno que	it's good that	Impersonal
es malo que	it's bad that	Impersonal
es mejor que	it's better that	Impersonal
es peor que	it's worse that	Impersonal
es raro que	it's rare/strange that	Impersonal
es extraño que	it's strange that	Impersonal
es curioso que	it's curious that	Impersonal
es normal que	it's normal that	Impersonal
es natural que	it's natural that	Impersonal
es lógico que	it's logical that	Impersonal
es urgente que	it's urgent that	Impersonal
es esencial que	it's essential that	Impersonal
es fundamental que	it's fundamental that	Impersonal
es imprescindible que	it's essential that	Impersonal
es recomendable que	it's advisable that	Impersonal
es preferible que	it's preferable that	Impersonal
es suficiente que	it's enough that	Impersonal
es difícil que	it's difficult that	Impersonal
es fácil que	it's easy/likely that	Impersonal
es ridículo que	it's ridiculous that	Impersonal
es absurdo que	it's absurd that	Impersonal
es increíble que	it's incredible that	Impersonal
es fantástico que	it's fantastic that	Impersonal
es horrible que	it's horrible that	Impersonal
es terrible que	it's terrible that	Impersonal
es una lástima que	it's a pity that	Impersonal
es una pena que	it's a shame that	Impersonal
es interesante que	it's interesting that	Impersonal
es agradable que	it's nice that	Impersonal
conviene que	it's convenient that	Impersonal
basta que	it's enough that	Impersonal
hace falta que	it's necessary that	Impersonal
puede que	it might / maybe	Impersonal
recomendar que	to recommend that	Command
sugerir que	to suggest that	Command
aconsejar que	to advise that	Command
pedir que	to ask/request that	Command
rogar que	to beg that	Command
exigir que	to demand that	Command
insistir en que	to insist that	Command
ordenar que	to order that	Command
mandar que	to command that	Command
prohibir que	to forbid that	Command
permitir que	to allow that	Command
dejar que	to let/allow that	Command
decir que	to tell (someone to)	Command
necesitar que	to need that	Command
dudar que	to doubt that	Doubt
no creer que	to not believe that	Doubt
no pensar que	to not think that	Doubt
no parecer que	to not seem that	Doubt
negar que	to deny that	Doubt
no estar seguro de que	to not be sure that	Doubt
no es verdad que	it's not true that	Doubt
no es cierto que	it's not certain that	Doubt
cuando	when (future)	Time
en cuanto	as soon as	Time
tan pronto como	as soon as	Time
luego que	as soon as	Time
hasta que	until	Time
antes de que	before	Time
antes que	before	Time
después de que	after (future)	Time
mientras	while (future)	Time
siempre que	whenever / as long as	Time
para que	so that / in order that	Condition
a fin de que	so that / in order that	Condition
de modo que	so that	Condition
de manera que	so that	Condition
a menos que	unless	Condition
a no ser que	unless	Condition
con tal de que	provided that	Condition
con la condición de que	on the condition that	Condition
siempre y cuando	as long as	Condition
sin que	without	Condition
en caso de que	in case	Condition
como si	as if	Condition
aunque	even if / although	Concession
a pesar de que	despite the fact that	Concession
aun cuando	even when/though	Concession
por mucho que	no matter how much	Concession
por muy + adj + que	no matter how + adj	Concession
por más que	no matter how much	Concession
pase lo que pase	whatever happens	Fixed
sea lo que sea	whatever it is	Fixed
diga lo que diga	whatever they say	Fixed
haga lo que haga	whatever I/you do	Fixed
sea como sea	be that as it may	Fixed
cueste lo que cueste	whatever it costs	Fixed
quieras o no quieras	whether you like it or not	Fixed
lo que sea	whatever / anything	Fixed
donde sea	wherever	Fixed
quien sea	whoever	Fixed
como sea	however / anyway	Fixed
cuando sea	whenever	Fixed
adondequiera que	wherever	Fixed
cualquiera que	whichever / whoever	Fixed
quizá(s)	perhaps / maybe	Adverb
tal vez	perhaps / maybe	Adverb
posiblemente	possibly	Adverb
probablemente	probably	Adverb
acaso	perhaps / by chance	Adverb

Category Guide (WEIRDO+)

Wish

Desires, hopes, preferences

5 triggers

Emotion

Feelings and emotional reactions

19 triggers

Impersonal

Es + adjective expressions

39 triggers

Command

Orders, requests, recommendations

14 triggers

Doubt

Uncertainty, denial, disbelief

8 triggers

Time

Future/pending time expressions

10 triggers

Condition

Purpose, conditions, exceptions

12 triggers

Concession

"Even if" and "no matter" phrases

6 triggers

Fixed

Set phrases and idioms

14 triggers

Adverb

Adverbs of possibility

5 triggers

Examples

Quick examples showing each category in action:

Category	Example	Translation
Wish	Quiero que vengas	I want you to come
Emotion	Me alegro de que estés aquí	I'm happy you're here
Impersonal	Es importante que estudies	It's important that you study
Command	Te recomiendo que leas esto	I recommend you read this
Doubt	Dudo que sea verdad	I doubt it's true
Time	Cuando llegues, llámame	When you arrive, call me
Condition	Te ayudo para que entiendas	I help you so you understand
Concession	Aunque llueva, iré	Even if it rains, I'll go
Fixed	Pase lo que pase, estaré aquí	Whatever happens, I'll be here
Adverb	Quizás venga mañana	Maybe they'll come tomorrow

Try it now:Subjunctive practice →

Common Mistakes

Common Mistakes to Avoid

✗ Quiero que vienes

✓ Quiero que vengas

After "querer que" always use subjunctive, not indicative

✗ Es importante que estudias

✓ Es importante que estudies

Impersonal expressions (es + adjective + que) require subjunctive

✗ Dudo que tiene razón

✓ Dudo que tenga razón

Expressions of doubt always trigger subjunctive

✗ Cuando llegó, llamaré

✓ Cuando llegue, llamaré

Future time clauses with "cuando" need subjunctive

💡 How to Use This List

Filter by category to focus on specific types of triggers
Use the table for quick reference when writing
Practise with one category at a time for focused learning
Note: Some triggers (like aunque) can take either mood depending on context

Put it into practice

Fill-in-the-blank exercises with instant feedback, from beginner to advanced.

Practise subjunctive →

Useful Resources

🔀Subjunctive Triggers: Fixed Phrases You Need to Know

Master advanced subjunctive triggers beyond WEIRDO: "no matter what" constructions, time triggers, purpose clauses, and conversational fixed expressions for natural fluency.

Lesson

📄Subjunctive Triggers Cheat Sheet (PDF)

Download our free one-page printable cheat sheet with the WEIRDO memory aid, 15 key trigger phrases, and examples for each category.

PDF

🎯Practice Subjunctive Mood - Interactive Exercises

Master the Spanish subjunctive with 9 interactive exercises covering WEIRDO triggers, regular and irregular verbs, and real-world usage.

Fill in the Blank

📖Reading: Consejos para un trabajo nuevo (Advice for a New Job)

Practise reading comprehension with an intermediate text featuring the present subjunctive.

Reading

📖Reading: El discurso de graduación (Graduation Speech)

Practise reading comprehension with an advanced graduation speech combining multiple grammar concepts.