Subjunctive Triggers
Many desire and emotion expressions take să + subjunctive. Other constructions depend on the particular verb.
How It Works
Many verbs of desire and emotion introduce a clause with să and the subjunctive.
Desire: Vreau să plec (I want to leave), Doresc să vii (I wish you to come). The two clauses may have the same subject or different subjects.
Emotional reactions: Îmi place să citesc (I like reading) can describe a real habit; Mă bucur să te văd (I am glad to see you) can describe a real meeting. The subjunctive does not always mean an unreal event.
Verb-specific choices: Learn which construction a verb accepts. Vreau să vii is standard, while sper să vii and sper că vii are both possible. Do not choose să or că solely by deciding whether the event is a fact.
Fear: In Mă tem să nu pierd trenul, the speaker fears missing the train. Here nu can introduce the feared possibility without negating it; interpret the whole expression in context.
Forms: Use the appropriate subjunctive conjugation, such as să mănânce. Object clitics precede the verb: Vreau să-l văd.
Examples (5)
- Vreau să vii la petrecere.
I want you to come to the party.
Word by Word: I-want that you-come to party.
The verb 'a vrea' (to want) triggers the subjunctive 'să vii'.
- Doresc să mă asculți cu atenție.
I wish for you to listen to me carefully.
Word by Word: I-wish that me you-listen with attention.
Note how the pronoun 'mă' is placed between 'să' and the verb.
- Mă tem să nu pierdem trenul.
I am afraid that we might miss the train.
Word by Word: Myself I-fear that not we-lose train-the.
This uses the 'pleonastic nu'—the 'nu' is there for emphasis but the meaning is still that we might miss it.
- Îmi place să citesc în parc.
I like to read in the park.
Word by Word: To-me it-pleases that I-read in park.
General preferences and likes also use the subjunctive construction.
- Sperăm să vină și el.
We hope that he comes too.
Word by Word: We-hope that he-comes also he.
Uses the 3rd person subjunctive 'vină' (instead of indicative 'vine') because it is a hope, not a fact.
Common Mistakes
Using the indicative 'că' for desires.
Vreau că vii.Vreau să vii.Vreau takes să + subjunctive for this meaning: Vreau să vii. This is a rule for this verb's complement, not a general ban on că after every expression of hope or emotion.
Forgetting the 3rd person vowel change.
Vreau să mănâncă.Vreau să mănânce.For -a verbs like 'a mânca', the 3rd person ending changes from -ă to -e in the subjunctive.
Misplacing pronouns after the verb.
Vreau să văd-l.Vreau să-l văd.In Romanian, object pronouns (clitics) must go between the particle 'să' and the verb.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use the subjunctive after verbs of emotion and desire, you must first understand how the 'să' construction works and be familiar with both regular and irregular subjunctive verb forms, particularly the third-person singular and plural which differ from the indicative.
Related Patterns
- să + Present SubjunctiveThe Să Construction
This is the foundational structure used after verbs of emotion and desire.
Level 2 - Third-Person Subjunctive
Learn the third-person form, including common vowel changes and unchanged verbs.
Level 3 - a vrea + să-ClauseVreau Să
A specific and very common application of this rule with the verb 'to want'.
Level 2 - Reported Statements With căReported Statements
Că introduces reported statements; both indicative and subjunctive constructions can refer to real or uncertain events depending on the governing expression.
Level 3 - Clitics After săClitics Before Să-Verbs
Explains where to put pronouns like 'mă', 'te', or 'îl' within the subjunctive phrase.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice Subjunctive Triggers in Bubblegum
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