LearnModule 7 · Lesson 1 of 30Independent User · CEFR B1, completedUnit 1 · Quiero que — the subjunctive opens

Quiero que — the door opens

Module 7 of the free Spanish course (CEFR B1, completed), lesson 1 of 30: Module 2 completes B1. On this page: 8 words with their genders and respellings, the rule, a watch-out line, the conjugation table and the audio — the study notes behind the workbook's QR.

The words

Spanish	English	Say it
quiero que	I want (someone) to	KYEH-roh keh
yo quiero que hables	I want you to speak	yoh KYEH-roh keh AH-blehs
el subjuntivo	the subjunctive	ehl soob-hoon-TEE-boh
es importante que	it is important that	ehs eem-pohr-TAHN-teh keh
necesario	necessary (m)	neh-seh-SAH-ryoh
el director	the manager	ehl dee-rehk-TOHR
la obligación	the obligation	lah oh-blee-gah-SYOHN
ahora mismo	right away	ah-OH-rah MEES-moh

Respellings follow the course’s say-it key; the stressed syllable is in capitals. Print this lesson’s flashcards (PDF) — the words on the front, the English and respelling on the back.

La regla · The rule

Module 2 completes B1, and it opens with the form that separates a confident writer from a beginner: el subjuntivo. It is not a new TIME — it is a new MOOD, the shape a verb takes after will, need and feeling. Quiero que hables con el director: I want you to speak to the manager.

Y también · And also

The regular build is mechanical. Take the yo-form of the present, drop the -o, and add the OPPOSITE endings: -ar verbs take -e, -es, -e, -emos, -en (hable, hables); -er and -ir verbs take -a, -as, -a, -amos, -an (coma, viva). Hablo gives que hable; como gives que coma.

Ojo · Watch out

The regular subjunctive comes from the YO-form of the present, not the infinitive: tengo gives que tenga, conozco gives que conozca. Start from yo, and swap the vowel: -ar takes e, -er and -ir take a.

hablar, presente de subjuntivo — the table

yo hable · tú hables · él/ella/usted hable · nosotros hablemos · ustedes hablen · ellos/ellas hablen

comer, presente de subjuntivo — the table

yo coma · tú comas · él/ella/usted coma · nosotros comamos · ustedes coman · ellos/ellas coman

Do it now — on paper

Say all 8 words aloud twice from the respelling, then once from the Spanish spelling alone — begin with quiero que.
Copy every word with its accents on paper; then cover the English column and write each meaning back from the Spanish.
Write out hablar, presente de subjuntivo and comer, presente de subjuntivo in full from memory, every person, and check each form against the table above.

This free course is the reading half. The writing half — write-in lessons, daily practice pages with built-in review, self-checks and a full answer key — is the companion workbook series, The Spanish Ladder: one workbook per module, fifteen in all, released band by band with the Basic band (Modules 1–5) first.

Keep these words

Turn this lesson’s words into flashcards, then space your reviews — the two habits the research behind our study guides backs hardest.

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