1.6: Subjunctive to Express Doubt and Denial
- Page ID
- 164416
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Subjuntivo: duda y negación
The subjunctive is used in the subordinate clause of a sentence when the main clause indicates doubt or denial of the information in the subordinate clause. The subject in the main clause must be different then the subject in the subordinate clause to trigger the subjunctive.
Fórmula
Expression of doubt or denial + que + subjunctive
The verb in the expression of doubt must be conjugated in indicative form. The subordinate clause must have a different subject and at least one verb conjugated in the subjunctive.
| Español | Inglés |
|---|---|
| dudar | to doubt |
| negar | to deny |
| es imposible | it's impossible |
| (no) es posible | it's (not) possible |
| (no) es probable | it's (not) probable |
| no creer | not to believe |
| no pensar | not to think; not to believe |
| no es cierto | it's not true, it's not certain |
| no es seguro | it's not certain; it's not for sure |
| no es verdad | it's not true |
| (no) es posible | it's (not) possible |
| no estar seguro de | not to be sure |
Ejemplos
- Dudo que la comida esté lista. (I doubt the food is ready.)
- No es verdad que mis padres tengan una casa grande. (It's not true that my parents have a big house.)
- Su madre niega que él tenga el dinero. (His mother denies that he has the money.)
- Loreto no piensa que la clase sea fácil. (Loreto does not think the class is easy.)
Práctica 1
Indicativo: indica certeza
If the sentence indicates certainty, the same structure must be used, but the second clause must be conjugated in the indicative (not the subjunctive).
| Español | Inglés |
|---|---|
| creer | to believe |
| es cierto | it's certain; it's true |
| es obvio | it's obvious |
| es seguro | it's certain |
| es verdad | it's true |
| estar seguro/a de | to be sure |
| no cabe duda de | there's no doubt |
| no hay duda de | there's no doubt |
| no dudar | not to doubt |
| pensar | to think; to believe |
Ejemplos
- No hay duda de que la comida está lista. (There's no doubt the food is ready.)
- Es verdad que mis padres tienen una casa grande. (It's true that my parents have a big house.)
- Su madre está segura de que él tiene el dinero. (His mother is sure that he has the money.)
- Loreto piensa que la clase es fácil. (Loreto thinks the class is easy.)
Note that these sentences are a modified version of the examples of subjunctive with expressions of doubt. Since this examples express certainty, the verb after the word "que", indicated in bold, must be conjugated in the indicative form.