The Spanish Subjunctive
There are many reasons why we study a foreign language.
Speaking a foreign language is like having your own Swiss Army Knife Tools! You could use it for so many different things that there is no excuse not to get really good at it! That is the reason more and more people each day start to study Spanish.
And that is why so many people in the world study English too: for more and better job opportunities, for fun, for travel, to reach people from other cultures, for missionary work and even to meet that special person or for whatever reason that may come their way.
But what if a foreigner came to you and said:
“I want talk you?”
“You talk me?”
“you want dance music?”
“We need business opportunity new.”
“I want talk you opportunity business new.” ~ Hmmm … something does not sound right!
Even if you could manage to understand what that he is telling you, do you think that person would be able to reap the many rewards associated with mastering a second language? To put it in perspective, if that man came to you talking like that, and you and at that precise moment you needed to hire someone bilingual for your own business, would you hire him if your company’s prestige, reputation and even future deals depended on his English speaking skills? Or do you think he would be the ideal candidate to answer the phone when customers call and give them that first impression of you and your company?
If you were at a party, do you think you could hold a very long and interesting conversation with him considering his limited skills in English? Or would it be easy to discuss a possible joint venture together? Do you think this person could be looked up to by everyone around due to his amazing English?
I am sure the answer to all of these questions is a resounding NO. And even if the person knows a lot of English, those few words s/he missed here or there may give you a totally wrong impression of his actual English skills. And that may be the reason why that same person may miss on the greatest rewards that speaking a foreign language brings. Instead of having more job opportunities, becoming the soul of the party, impressing that special someone he may really like and even gaining his friends or colleagues’ admiration, most people would probably not take him too seriously. And mind you, he may know a LOT of English, just that it is not showing on the surface.
To most people, this man may sound like the real-life impersonation of Tarzan.
Sad as it may seem….
That is exactly the way YOU sound when you fail to use the Spanish subjunctive, AKA El Subjuntivo. YES, I know it may sound like a shock to you to hear that, but that is precisely the way it sound to our native Spanish speakers’ ears. It may be blunt to put it like this and I am sure no one has ever told you this before, but I am not here to sugarcoat reality to you. I am here to tell you the harsh truth.
Yes, YOU sound like that too when you do not use the Spanish Subjunctive correctly!
Just like our English learner mentioned earlier, no matter how much Spanish you know, every time you speak Spanish and you do not use the subjunctive, or you use “el subjuntivo” incorrectly, you do sound like him.
