Talking on the Telephone

Abstract

In this unit you are introduced to the subjunctive — an alternative set of verb forms. The subjunctive has mostly disappeared in English apart from in phrases such as ‘if I were (rich)’ or ‘long live (the king/queen)’, but it is still alive and well in Spanish and is used very frequently in everyday conversation as well as in more formal styles. It is not complicated to master — you will easily become familiar with it. The activities you are asked to complete in these units are more of a consciousness-raising exercise than anything else — that is, to make you aware of the forms rather than to produce them actively. So why bother with the subjunctive in the first place? Simply because it is used very frequently and sooner or later you are going to wonder why verbs don’t follow the patterns you have already learnt. Indeed, it has cropped up many times in earlier units.