Thursday, September 2, 2010

The Subjunctive with No Dependent Clause

The subjunctive can also exist while the dependent clause is not fully realized. In these instances, the subject of the indicative clause stays the same throughout the sentence. Take for example the following sentence:

El maestro quiere que los estudiantes anoten unos apuntes. The teacher wants the students to write down some notes.


Notice that the subject starts with "el maestro" but then "el estudiante" takes over as the focus of the sentence. In this case, we need to follow the classic structure of independent (indicative clause) + que + dependent (subjunctive clause). However, a subjunctive expression can also exist when the subject stays the same. In these instances, we don't combine two clauses by "que", but rather, we affix the infinitive to the indicative clause. Notice the following examples, where the "trigger" clause is underlined:

Madrigal insiste en venir a la fiesta. Madrigal insists on coming to the party.

necesitas ir al baño. You need to go to the bathroom.

Nosotros recomendamos escribir un ensayo. We recommend writing an essay.

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