CEFR B2
What you will learn
- Choose mood according to whether the speaker presents an antecedent as identified or non-specific.
- Use the subjunctive when the relevant set is negated or no matching referent is found.
- Coordinate present and imperfect subjunctive with the time frame of the search, requirement or denial.
Before you start
- Have studied “When to use the subjunctive: assertion, reaction and pending events”.
The idea
Indicative normally presents the antecedent as identified or accepted in the discourse: “Uso la sala que tiene dos ventanas.” Subjunctive presents the matching referent as sought, required, non-specific or denied: “Busco una sala que tenga dos ventanas.” The sought room may exist in the real world, and an identified room can later turn out not to exist. The mood marks the speaker's discourse commitment, not an objective existence detector.
Un or una often appears in a search because the referent is not identified, but an indefinite antecedent can still be specific: “Hablé con una técnica que conoce el programa.” The speaker has a particular technician in mind, so conoce is indicative.
El or la often identifies a referent, but a superlative or restrictive requirement can create a non-assertive reading: “Busco la opción que sea menos costosa.” Do not let the article override the whole context.
Personal a marks many specific human direct objects, while relative-clause mood frames the antecedent. A non-specific human object often appears without a—“Busco un técnico que sepa soldar”—but specificity, definiteness and verb class can interact.
Do not teach a mechanical rule that the subjunctive deletes personal a. Analyse object marking and relative mood separately.
Time-frame concordance in non-specific relatives
| main frame | relative event | controlled pattern | model |
|---|---|---|---|
| current search | current or future requirement | present subjunctive | Buscamos un sistema que reduzca el ruido. |
| past search | simultaneous requirement | imperfect subjunctive | Buscábamos un sistema que redujera el ruido. |
| current denial | current matching member | present subjunctive | No existe un sistema que resuelva ambos fallos. |
| past denial | matching member in that past frame | imperfect subjunctive | No existía un sistema que resolviera ambos fallos. |
Free relatives leave the referent open
| pattern | meaning | model |
|---|---|---|
| lo que + subjunctive | whatever | Elegiremos lo que resulte más estable. |
| quien + subjunctive | whoever | Que responda quien conozca el protocolo. |
| donde + subjunctive | wherever | Lo instalaremos donde reciba más luz. |
| pase lo que pase | concessive reduplication | Pase lo que pase, conservaremos una copia. |
How it sounds
- Conozco una editorial que publica ensayo.
- Necesito una editorial que publique poesía.
- No hay nadie que responda.
Check objective 1Another case
A proposed answer is “dé” for this case: “Use the room that is already reserved and identified. Ya hemos reservado la sala que dé al patio. (dar)”. Choose the only valid form.
A proposed answer is “dar” for this case: “Use the room that is already reserved and identified. Ya hemos reservado la sala que dar al patio. (dar)”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: da — La sala is a particular reserved room, so the relative clause describes an identified referent with the present indicative: da.
La sala is a particular reserved room, so the relative clause describes an identified referent with the present indicative: da.
Answer: da — La sala is a particular reserved room, so the relative clause describes an identified referent with the present indicative: da.
La sala is a particular reserved room, so the relative clause describes an identified referent with the present indicative: da.
Check objective 2Another case
A proposed answer is “muestra” for this case: “Use the empty rack and the missing combined route. Ahora no existe ningún mapa que muestra las dos rutas. (mostrar)”. Choose the only valid form.
A proposed answer is “mostre” for this case: “Use the empty rack and the missing combined route. Ahora no existe ningún mapa que mostre las dos rutas. (mostrar)”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: muestre — Ningún and no existe deny a matching map in the current frame. The relative clause takes present subjunctive, and mostrar changes o to ue: muestre.
Ningún and no existe deny a matching map in the current frame. The relative clause takes present subjunctive, and mostrar changes o to ue: muestre.
Answer: muestre — Ningún and no existe deny a matching map in the current frame. The relative clause takes present subjunctive, and mostrar changes o to ue: muestre.
Ningún and no existe deny a matching map in the current frame. The relative clause takes present subjunctive, and mostrar changes o to ue: muestre.
Check objective 3Another case
A proposed answer is “tenía” for this case: “Use the past search for an unspecified sunlit room and complete with the -ra series. Ayer buscábamos una sala que tenía luz natural. (tener)”. Choose the only valid form.
A proposed answer is “tendría” for this case: “Use the past search for an unspecified sunlit room and complete with the -ra series. Ayer buscábamos una sala que tendría luz natural. (tener)”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: tuviera — No particular matching room was identified, and buscábamos fixes a past search frame. The relative clause therefore takes imperfect subjunctive: tuviera.
No particular matching room was identified, and buscábamos fixes a past search frame. The relative clause therefore takes imperfect subjunctive: tuviera.
Answer: tuviera — No particular matching room was identified, and buscábamos fixes a past search frame. The relative clause therefore takes imperfect subjunctive: tuviera.
No particular matching room was identified, and buscábamos fixes a past search frame. The relative clause therefore takes imperfect subjunctive: tuviera.
What your own language pushes you to say
Wrong No conozco a tu vecina, así que: la vecina que viva arriba.
Right Tú identificas a una persona concreta: la vecina que vive arriba.
The speaker can refer to a specific person without the listener knowing that person. Mood follows how the antecedent is presented in the discourse.
Challenge: apply every rule
Solve every case and justify each choice: 1) A proposed answer is “tuviera” for this case: “Use the room that is already reserved and identified. Ya hemos reservado la sala que tuviera al patio. (dar)”. Choose the only valid form. 2) A proposed answer is “tuviera” for this case: “Use the empty rack and the missing combined route. Ahora no existe ningún mapa que tuviera las dos rutas. (mostrar)”. Choose the only valid form. 3) A proposed answer is “da” for this case: “Use the past search for an unspecified sunlit room and complete with the -ra series. Ayer buscábamos una sala que da luz natural. (tener)”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
- Choose mood according to whether the speaker presents an antecedent as identified or non-specific.
- Use the subjunctive when the relevant set is negated or no matching referent is found.
- Coordinate present and imperfect subjunctive with the time frame of the search, requirement or denial.
Answer: da · muestre · tuviera
La sala is a particular reserved room, so the relative clause describes an identified referent with the present indicative: da. Ningún and no existe deny a matching map in the current frame. The relative clause takes present subjunctive, and mostrar changes o to ue: muestre. No particular matching room was identified, and buscábamos fixes a past search frame. The relative clause therefore takes imperfect subjunctive: tuviera.
Curriculum alignment and sources
- B2 speakers can qualify information and express fine distinctions in descriptions and requirements; the decision procedure is editorial. · CEFR descriptors search
- The B2 inventory explicitly contrasts indicative and subjunctive in relative clauses with known, unknown, non-specific and negated antecedents. · ic-pcic-grammar-b1-b2
- The B2 inventory gives non-specific relative patterns such as a searched-for bilingual secretary and mood-based information structure. · ic-pcic-pragmatics-b1-b2
Continue along this corridor
Practise this: “Busco a alguien que hable inglés”When to use the subjunctive: assertion, reaction and pending eventsThe imperfect and pluperfect subjunctive: distance, sequence and unreal framesSpanish relative pronouns: choose by antecedent, role and prepositionVerb–preposition patterns: lexical government and clause architecture