written by: lwitkop edited by: Rebecca Scudder updated: 3/2/ spanish/33236-verbs-use-the-wedding-acronym-for-the- subjunctive/

 Deciding when to use the subjunctive = handy acronym will help you better understand when to include the subjunctive in your writing and speaking.  The Subjunctive Mood  expresses hypothetical conditions.  You can see the subjunctive in action in the English sentence, "If I were a millionaire (when you are not, in fact, a millionaire), I would travel around the world.“  The WEDDING Acronym  Each letter in the word WEDDING describes a condition requiring the use of the subjunctive mood.

 W – Wish/Will  Verbs that express a desire, including querer /to want, desear /to desire and preferir /to prefer, require the subjunctive mood.  El professor quiere que sus alumnos hablen en español todos los días. /The teacher wants his students to speak Spanish every day.  E –  E – Emotion  Some verbs expressing emotion include esperar /to hope, alegrarse /to become happy and temer /to fear. They all call for the use of the subjunctive.  ¡Cuanto me alegro de que mi amiga regrese de las vacaciones! /I'm so happy that my friend is returning from vacation!  D –  D – Doubt  Use the subjunctive with the verb dudar /to doubt. Use the subjunctive  Dudo que mi hermana vaya a la universidad. /I doubt that my sister will go to college. ..

 D –  D – Denial  Negar /to deny is another verb that will always require the subjunctive.  Señora Solís negó que estuviera en casa a las cinco. /Mrs. Solis denied that she was at home at five o'clock.  I –  I – Impersonal expressions  When you use impersonal expressions like es necesario, this is another occasion when you will need to turn to the subjunctive.  Es mejor que la fiesta termine a la medianoche. /It's better if the party ends at midnight

 N –  N – Negation  Although verbs like creer /to believe and pensar /to think call for the indicative mood, in their negative forms, Spanish speakers must switch to the subjunctive.  No creo que haga sol mañana. /I don't think it will be sunny tomorrow.  G – General expressions/God  The expression ojalá que will always require the subjunctive mood. Although the phrase is used to convey, "I hope that...", its literal translation is, "may God grant that..."  Ojalá que ganes el campeonato. /I hope you win the championship.

 Variations  There are a few variations on the WEDDING acronym for the subjunctive in Spanish.  Some teachers say that the N represents Need, including negative statements in either the Doubt or Denial column.  A common variation on the G is to include ojalá que as part of a larger category of General Expressions, such as a menos que or en caso de que.  It doesn't really matter which version of WEDDING you use in your studies. The important thing is that you choose a description that you will remember, so you can arrive at a clearer understanding of the uses of the subjunctive mood.