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Subjunctive usage hinges on the type of dependent clause and the speaker’s attitude toward the action.

Noun clauses act as a noun’s content and follow expressions that express wishing, doubt, or necessity. When the main clause conveys desire, doubt, or necessity, the verb inside the noun clause is in the subjunctive to reflect that attitude toward the statement inside the clause. For example, after querer or dudar, you often see subjunctive in the clause that answers what is wished, doubted, or deemed necessary.

Adverbial clauses modify the main verb in a way that expresses purpose, time, condition, or contingency. Subjunctive in these clauses appears after conjunctions that introduce non-real, uncertain, or future-oriented situations, such as para que (so that) and antes de que (before). These triggers indicate that the action has not yet occurred or is being contemplated in relation to the main event, so the mood reflects that contingency.

So the best contrast is that noun clauses trigger the subjunctive based on the speaker’s attitude (desire/doubt/need) toward the content of the clause, whereas adverbial clauses trigger the subjunctive due to the relationship expressed by the conjunction (purpose, contingency, or timing that depends on a future or uncertain outcome). This is why expressions of desire/doubt/necessity in noun clauses align with subjunctive, and conjunctions like para que or antes de que in adverbial clauses align with subjunctive because they introduce non-real or contingent situations.