Download 15.8 Voicing Your Doubts Language Lesson

15.8 Voicing Your Doubts
Language & Culture Lessons
Knowing when to use the Subjunctive is essential to your ability to communicate well in Spanish. In the last lesson we
learned the use of the Subjunctive with trigger verbs of Desire, Preference, Wish and Will.
In this lesson, we'll take a look at verbs of Doubt and Denial that also TRIGGER the Subjunctive in the dependent clause.
Language Lesson
In the Interactive Audio Course lesson on "Feliz Cumpleaños" - we hear Alejandra say:
...dudo que Mario esté muy contento de que le metan la ...I doubt that Mario will be very happy if they put his
cara en la torta, en especial si es de crema.
face in the cake, especially if it's a cream cake.
She doubts that Mario will be very happy if they put his face in the cake, especially if it’s a cream cake!
Now that you’re advanced Spanish speakers, you should know a little bit about the Subjunctive already. 'Dudo que,'
which comes from the verb 'dudar,' or "to doubt," must be followed by the Subjunctive.
The Subjunctive verb in Alejandra's line above is 'esté', so it's 'Dudo que Mario esté,' NOT 'Dudo que Mario está'.
Let’s see if you know much about the Subjunctive mood. Let’s talk about what you doubt...
How would you say:
Dudo que Amy recuerde la primera lección.
I doubt that Amy remembers the first lesson.
Is this making sense?
Don't worry if you find this a bit mind-boggling... hopefully this lesson will help you make sense of all the above!
When do you use the Subjunctive?
Knowing when to use the Subjunctive is essential to your ability to communicate well in Spanish. In the last lesson
we learned the use of the Subjunctive with trigger verbs of Desire, Preference, Wish and Will.
In this lesson, we'll take a look at verbs of Doubt and Denial that also TRIGGER the Subjunctive in the dependent
clause.
¡Acuérdate!
Remember that the Subjunctive is mainly used in multiple clause sentences?
A multiple clause, (or a compound clause) is often made up of a Main clause and a second, Dependent clause.
If the verb in the MAIN clause expresses one of the following...
Denial
Doubt
Disbelief or
Uncertainty
...then the verb in the DEPENDENT clause will be in the Subjunctive.
Voicing Doubts
Let's take a look at a sentence in English:
"I don't think that you live here."
Here, "I don't think" is the Main clause, and as you can see, it expresses doubt or denial. So, the verb in the Dependent
clause, which is "you live here" is in the Present Subjunctive.
We have to put the verb "you live" into the Subjunctive.
Keep in mind that the Doubt verb in the First (main) clause has TRIGGERED the verb in the Second (dependent) clause
to be a Subjunctive.
In other words, the Subjunctive is always used in a Dependent clause when:
1. there is a change of subject AND
2. the expression in the main clause implies negation or uncertainty.
Let's try it in Spanish now:
1. Main clause: "I don't think" is Yo no creo
2. We add the conjunction que for "that"
3. And end with Dependent clause "you live here" - in the Subjunctive – tú vivas aquí.
I don't think that you live here.
Yo no creo que tú vivas aquí.
Other common verbs and expressions that indicate Doubt, Uncertainty, or Denial are:
dudar... negar... no creer... no estar seguro
dudar
to doubt
negar
to deny
no creer
not to believe
no estar seguro de
not be sure of
All these verbs will be in the Indicative followed by the conjunction QUE followed by the appropriate verb in the
Subjunctive.
¿Te acuerdas?
Let's review the present indicative of 'Dudar' and 'Negar':
Subject
Dudar
Negar
Yo
dudo
niego
Tú
dudas
niegas
Ud./él/ella
duda
niega
Nosotros/as
dudamos
negamos
Vosotros/as
dudáis
negáis
Uds./ellos/ellas
dudan
niegan
Por ejemplo:
1. "You doubt that he speaks Spanish."
"You doubt" is Tú dudas, then we attach the connector QUE, and end with "he speaks Spanish" in the Subjunctive, él
hable español:
Tú dudas que él hable español.
You doubt that he speaks Spanish.
Here's an example with the verb 'Negar':
2. "I deny that UFO's exist."
We form this in Spanish starting with - "I deny" which in Spanish is Yo niego ('niego' is in the Indicative) followed by
QUE, followed by "UFO's exist" in the Subjunctive, existan los OVNI's.
Yo niego que existan los OVNI's.
I deny that UFOs exist.
More Expressions of Doubt, Disbelief, and Denail
Here are some more common expressions that TRIGGER the Subjunctive:
no es cierto
it's not true; it's uncertain
no es seguro
it's not certain
no es verdad
it's not true
es posible / no es posible
it's possible / it's not possible
es probable / no es probable
it's probable / it's not probable
es imposible
it's impossible
es improbable
it's improbable
"Probably"
Note that in English, the expression "It is probable" indicates a fairly high degree of certainty. In Spanish, however, 'es
probable' implies uncertainty and therefore triggers the Subjunctive in the dependent clause.
Let's look at some example phrases:
How do you form this sentence in Spanish?
"It's probable that we'll arrive late."
"It's probable" is Es probable ('es' is in the indicative) followed by QUE, followed by "we'll arrive late" in the
Subjunctive: nosotros lleguemos tarde.
Es probable que nosotros lleguemos tarde.
It's probable that we'll arrive late. [We'll probably arrive
late.]
Similarly, poco probable , meaning "unlikely," is also followed by a verb in the Subjunctive.
Es poco probable que ella venga.
It's unlikely that she'll come. [She's unlikely to come.]
Another common way of saying "probably" is to use 'lo más probable es que' followed by the Subjunctive (word for
word, this translates as "the most likely thing is that").
Lo más probable es que ellos se olviden.
It's most likely that they'll forget. [They probably will
forget.]
"Perhaps"
Both expressions, Tal vez and Quizás are words meaning "perhaps" - they are usually followed by the Subjunctive to
suggest that the action is improbable, or doubtful.
Compare the following two sentences:
1. Quizás te casas, o quizás no.
2. Quizás te cases, o quizás no.
The first sentence uses the Indicative form of 'casar' (to marry) stressing a greater degree of likelihood or
probability that "he/she will get married."
In the second sentence, the Subjunctive form of 'casar' - 'cases' - is used to suggest that the action of
"marriage" is unlikely.
So, basically, it depends on how much you believe what you're saying. If you feel doubtful about what you're
suggesting, then use the Subjunctive!
Tal vez and Quizás are typically placed at the beginning of the sentence:
Tal vez llegue a tiempo.
Maybe he/she will arrive on time.
Quizás sea una ilusión.
Perhaps it will be an illusion.
Culture
Celebrations and family
Latin American families are usually large and sociable.
It is common to find families with five or more children, and having the grandparents over to celebrate a teenager´s
birthday.
For latinos this is a way to show respect for elders as active members of society.
It's also common to hang out with and be close to your cousins, which expand your social network of school and
friends. And if you happen to live close to each other and be around the same age, you are most likely to grow up
together like siblings.
"Crashers" - people you don't know - are likely to show up at your birthday party, as well as friends that you haven't
seen in a while and you didn't invite.
There is no need for an invitation: if that person is your friend and is hosting a non-formal social gathering, you are
always welcome to show up with a date and one or two friends.
And weddings? Get ready, because they are loud and crowded! A wedding with 100 guests is considered small, and
everyone is expected to dance.
Weddings can happen during the day or at night time. If it is a religious union, the marriage would most likely have
to be approved by elders or those of high social standing.
And because this is a formal celebration, no crashers are allowed!
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