Using the Subjunctive with Emotional Expressions

One of the hardest things for English-speakers who are learning Spanish to grasp is the requirement of the subjunctive in conjunction with so many expressions. One such expression is when the speaker shows a biased emotional response to an otherwise dependent clause. Some phrases that employ bias, and use the subjunctive, are:

es una lástima que	it's a shame that
es bueno que	it's good that
es malo que	it's bad that
es un problema que	it's a problem that
alegrarse que	to be happy that
ser triste que	to be sad that

Here are some examples using biased clauses:

Es una lástima que Gia se case con él.
It's a shame that Gia is getting married to him.


Es bueno que los muchachos estén en escuela ahora.
It's good that the kids are in school right now.


Es malo que la computadora no funcione.
It's not good that the computer is not working.


Es un problema que no se pueda matricular en la Universidad esta semestre.
It's a problem that you can't enroll in the University this semester.


Me alegro que tú saques buenas notas.
I'm happy that you're getting good grades.


Ella es triste que su marido se marche.
She is sad that her husband is leaving.


It's important to note that this list is not all-inclusive, and that even some of these expressions can be negated (for example, no me alegro que...). What IS important to pay attention to is the logic behind the need to use the subjunctive mood following these clauses: each one of these biased clauses FORCE a dependent clause, or rather, the dependent clause(subjunctive) cannot exist without these biased expressions being put forth.