Which of the following sentences would typically require the subjunctive?

Which of the following sentences would typically require the subjunctive?

• A. Yo vengomañana.
• B. Quiero que tú vengas.
• C. Él tiene un libro.
• D. Es cierto que llueve.

Answer: (B)

Subjunctive is used in the second clause after verbs that express desire, influence, or emotion when the action is not presented as a fact and refers to someone else’s actions. In the sentence “Quiero que tú vengas,” the speaker is expressing a wish, and the action of coming is not reality yet. That’s why the verb in the dependent clause is in the present subjunctive: “vengas.” It signals a non-real, desired outcome rather than a stated fact. The other sentences are straightforward statements of fact. “Yo vengo mañana” simply says I will come tomorrow, so it uses the indicative. “Él tiene un libro” states a possession, also in the indicative. “Es cierto que llueve” asserts a fact, so the indicative is used here as well; the subjunctive would appear only in a context expressing doubt or possibility, like “Es posible que llueva.”

Subjunctive is used in the second clause after verbs that express desire, influence, or emotion when the action is not presented as a fact and refers to someone else’s actions. In the sentence “Quiero que tú vengas,” the speaker is expressing a wish, and the action of coming is not reality yet. That’s why the verb in the dependent clause is in the present subjunctive: “vengas.” It signals a non-real, desired outcome rather than a stated fact.

The other sentences are straightforward statements of fact. “Yo vengo mañana” simply says I will come tomorrow, so it uses the indicative. “Él tiene un libro” states a possession, also in the indicative. “Es cierto que llueve” asserts a fact, so the indicative is used here as well; the subjunctive would appear only in a context expressing doubt or possibility, like “Es posible que llueva.”