busco a alguien que + Subjunctive

How It Works

Examples (5)

1. Busco a alguien que me pueda ayudar con la mudanza.

   I'm looking for someone who can help me with the move.

   Word by Word: I look for someone that to me can help with the move.

2. Necesitamos una casa que tenga tres dormitorios y un jardín grande.

   We need a house that has three bedrooms and a large garden.

   Word by Word: We need a house that has three bedrooms and a garden big.

3. ¿Conoces a un mecánico que sepa reparar coches antiguos?

   Do you know a mechanic who knows how to repair old cars?

   Word by Word: Do you know a mechanic that knows to repair cars old?

4. Quiero un trabajo que no sea muy estresante.

   I want a job that isn't very stressful.

   Word by Word: I want a job that not is very stressful.

5. No hay nadie aquí que hable japonés.

   There is no one here who speaks Japanese.

   This is a related structure. Since 'nadie' (no one) is a nonexistent antecedent, the subjunctive is required.

Common Mistakes

• Using the indicative when you are looking for any apartment that fits.

  Different MeaningBusco un apartamento que tiene dos baños.

  Busco un apartamento que tenga dos baños.

  Busco un apartamento que tiene dos baños is correct if you mean one particular apartment that you know has two bathrooms. If you are looking for any apartment with that feature, use the subjunctive: que tenga dos baños.

How It Connects

Learn This First

To learn 'busco alguien que + subjunctive', you first need to understand how to form the present subjunctive. You also need to understand how relative clauses work using 'que'. Finally, you must grasp the conceptual rule that the subjunctive is required when describing an 'indefinite antecedent'—someone or something you are looking for but haven't found yet.

• Subjunctive in Relative Clauses

  This is the underlying grammatical rule that dictates using the subjunctive when the person or thing being described is unknown or non-existent to the speaker.

  Level 4

Related Patterns

• no hay nadie que + SubjunctiveNonexistent Antecedent

  Similar to seeking an unknown entity, this pattern uses the subjunctive to describe an entity that is explicitly declared as nonexistent. Both rely on the non-specificity of the antecedent.

  Level 4
• -e/-es/-e/-emos/-éis/-enPresent Subjunctive -AR

  To use this structure correctly, you must know how to form the present subjunctive. This pattern covers the endings for regular -AR verbs, like 'hablar' -> 'hable'.

  Level 3
• -a/-as/-a/-amos/-áis/-anPresent Subjunctive -ER/-IR

  This pattern provides the necessary present subjunctive endings for regular -ER and -IR verbs, such as 'poder' -> 'pueda' or 'ser' -> 'sea'.

  Level 3
• aPersonal a

  When the unknown entity you are looking for is a person (like 'alguien' or 'un amigo'), you must use the personal 'a' before it, even if the person is indefinite.

  Level 2

Words in This Pattern