Subjunctive after wanting and ordering

Level 3

Wishes and reported instructions commonly use que + subjunctive for the requested action.

How It Works

Vull que vinguis means I want you to come. Vull has jo as its understood subject, while vinguis refers to tu. Que connects the two clauses; the second verb is not an infinitive.

Requests and orders can introduce a separate subjunctive clause: demana que ho fem avui, ordena que surtin. The main subject is the requester; the subordinate subject is whoever should perform the requested action. Match the second verb to that person rather than copying the main verb's ending.

For the same person's own intended action, an infinitive is often the simpler structure: vol sortir. A report of an instruction is not necessarily a statement that the action happened. Compare diu que surt, reporting a fact, with diu que surti, conveying an instruction in the right context. The mood helps distinguish the reported content's function.

Examples (3)

  1. Demana que ho fem avui.

    She asks us to do it today.

  2. Vull que la porta estigui oberta.

    I want the door to be open.

  3. Els demana que esperin aquí.

    She asks them to wait here.

How It Connects

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Subjunctive after wanting and orderingLevel 3

Learn This First

Use subjunctive when a wish concerns another subject.

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Patterns that build on this one.