Italian Subjunctive (Part 1): Speak Italian!

               The Italian subjunctive mood is easy to conjugate, but tricky to use!

 

Speak Italian: How to Use the Italian Subjunctive Mood

Can you speak Italian? By now, many of you have passed the beginning stages of learning to speak Italian and can read and comprehend quite a bit of the Italian language. Meraviglioso!

But have you tried to take the next step to speak Italian fluently? Can you use the Italian subjunctive mood in the correct situations? To express complex feelings in Italian correctly, it is important to use the Italian subjunctive mood. Using the subjunctive mood is difficult for English speakers, as we only rarely use this tense in English, and this is something that I am always working on! The blogs in the “Speak Italian” blog series will focus on how to conjugate and use the Italian subjunctive mood, or “il congiuntivo.”

Let’s take that giant step from simple beginning sentences to more complex and fluid sentences in Italian by using the subjunctive mood. In this segment, we will discuss the phrases that take the subjunctive mood and the how to conjugate the subjunctive mood for avere, essere and stare in the present tense. Finally, we will learn about the verb chiedersi, which means “to wonder.” Example sentences will follow!

Speak Italian: How to Use the Italian Subjunctive Mood

In each blog in the “Speak Italian” series about the  Italian subjunctive mood (“il congiuntivo”),  we will first present phrases that take the Italian subjunctive mood.

Then,  we will review how to conjugate the Italian subjunctive mood.

Finally, we will present common phrases used in daily life that take the Italian subjunctive mood.

Remember these examples as “anchors” in your knowledge for when you must speak Italian and try out the subjunctive mood in your next Italian conversation!

Enjoy the first blog in this series, “Italian Subjunctive (Part 1): Speak Italian!”
—Kathryn Occhipinti

Some of this material is adapted from our textbook, Conversational Italian for Travelers © 2012 by Stella Lucente, LLC, found on www.learntravelitalian.com. Special thanks to Italian instructors Simona Giuggioli and Maria Vanessa Colapinto.

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Speak Italian: How to Use the Italian Subjunctive Mood (Part 1)

Introducing… Phrases That Take the Italian Subjunctive Mood

Italian has a subjunctive mood that is used to express beliefs, thoughts, or hopes with the verbs credere, pensare, and sperare.

The subjunctive mood is also said to “open up” a conversation to discussion about a particular topic by expressing doubt, uncertainty, desire, or a feeling.

The subjunctive mood is also used to express an expectation regarding the subject of the main clause.

Certain phrases are commonly used to start a sentence in order to introduce the subjunctive mood, and these initial phrases will be in the indicative tense (the “usual” present or past tense). The subjunctive mood is also used with the conditional tense, but this will be the topic of later blogs. These initial phrases imply uncertainty and trigger the subjunctive mood in the phrase to follow.

These groups are listed below:

Groups 1-6: “Noun Clauses”

1. Phrases that use the verbs credere (to believe), pensare (to think), and sperare (to hope). These verbs use the pattern: [verb  + di + infinitive verb]  to describe the beliefs, thoughts, or hopes that one has. When the subject in the introductory phrase is not the same as the subject in the subjunctive clause that follows, the pattern changes to: [verb + che + subjunctive verb].*
2. Impersonal constructions that begin with, “It is…” such as, “È possibile che…”
3. Phrases that express a doubt, such as, “I don’t know…” or “Non so che…”
4. Phrases that express suspicion, such as, ” I suspect that…” or “Sospetto che…”
5. Phrases that express uncertainty, such as, “It seems to me…” or “Mi sembra che…” and ” To wonder if…” or  “Chiedersi se… “
6. Impersonal verbs followed by the conjunction che, such as, “Basta che…” “It is enough that,” or “Si dice che…” “They say that…

 

In Italian, the introductory phrases listed above are usually followed by a “linking word,” which in turn introduces the phrase that follows.  This “linking word” is also known as a conjunction, and is the word che.  In this situation, che means that.  The clause that follows our introductory phrase will then describe what the uncertainty is about.

Note that the simple present or past tenses can also be used after the introductory phrases listed below, rather than the subjunctive mood, if you are speaking about a fact or something you believe to be true. This use will make perfect sense to the Italian listener, even when the subjective mood is otherwise commonly used.

To follow is a (long) list of phrases that can be used to introduce the subjunctive mood, with example from the present tense in the first two columns and the past tense in the last two columns. Notice that the imperfetto form of the past tense is given in our table for brevity, but the passato prossimo form of the past tense can also be used, depending on the situation.  Use of the past tense forms will be the topic of later blogs.

Phrases That Take the Subjunctive Mood

 

Present Tense Subjunctive Phrase Groups 1 and 2			Past Tense Subjunctive Phrase Groups 1 and 2
Credo che	I believe that		Credevo che	I believed that
Penso che	I think that		Pensavo che	I thought that
Spero che	I hope that		Speravo che	I hoped that
È possibile che	It is possible that		Era possibile che	It was possible that
È probablile che	It is probable that		Era probabile che	It was probable that
È bene che	It is fine/good that		Era bene che	It was fine/good that
Sarebbe bene che	It would be good that		Sarebbe stato bene che	It would have been good that
È giusto che	It is right that		Era giusto che	It was right that
È meglio  che	It is better that		Era meglio che	It was better that
È incredible che	It is incredible that		Era incredibile che	It was incredible that
È un peccato che	It is a shame that		Era un peccato che	It was a shame that
È una vergogna che	It is a disgrace that		Era una vergogna che	It was a disgrace that
È normale che	It is normal that		Era normale che	It was normal that

 

Present Tense Subjunctive Phrase Groups 3, 4, 5 and 6			Past Tense Subjunctive Phrase Groups 3, 4, 5 and 6
Non so che	I don’t know that		Non sapevo che	I didn’t know that
Non so dove	I don’t know where		Non sapevo dove	I didn’t know where
Non sono sicuro che	I am not sure that		Non ero sicuro che	I wasn’t sure that
Non ho idea che	I have no idea that		Non avevo idea che	I had no idea that
Non mi aspetto che	I couldn’t wait that		Non mi aspettavo che	I couldn’t wait that
Non c’è nulla che	There is nothing that		Non c’era nulla che	There was nothing that
Mi pare che	It seems to me		Mi pareva che	It seemed to me
Mi sembra che	It seems to me		Mi sembrava che	It seemed to me
Può darsi che	Perhaps
Ho l’impressione che	I have the impression that		Avevo l’impresione che	I had the impression that
Suppongo che	I suppose that		Supponevo che	I supposed that
Immagino che	I imagine that		Immaginavo che	I imagined that
Sospetto che	I suspect that		Sospettavo che	I suspected that
Dubito che	I doubt that		Dubitavo che	I doubted that
Sono convinto che	I am convinced that		Ero convinto che	I was convinced that
A meno che	Unless
Conviene che	It is best that		Conveniva che	It was best that
Basta che	It is enough that		Bastava che	It was enough that
Malgrado che	In spite of that
Si dice che	It is said that		Si diceva che	It was said that
Dicono che	They say that		Dicevano che	They said that
Bisogna che	It’s necessary that		Bisognavo che	It was necessary that

*When the speaker in the introductory phrase will carry out the action in the phrase to follow, Italian will use the following construction to link the phrases for credere, pensare, and sperare :  di + infinitive verb. Example: Penso di andare a Roma domani.  =  I think I will go to Rome tomorrow.  (Use  pensare a when thinking ABOUT something or someone.)

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Finally, a word of caution:

DO NOT USE THE SUBJUNCTIVE WITH THE FOLLOWING THREE PHRASES!

Forse = Perhaps

 Per me = For me

Secondo me = According to me

The above may seem like exceptions to the rule, but perhaps… because these phrases already express doubt or your personal opinion… in the Italian way of thinking, it would be redundant to use these phrases along with the subjunctive!

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Speak Italian: The Present Tense Subjunctive Mood (Part 1)

How to Conjugate Italian Verbs “Essere,” “Avere,” and “Stare” in the Present Tense Subjunctive Mood

Here are the present tense subjunctive forms for the Italian auxiliary verbs avere and essere, and also the irregular verb stare, which are often used in the subjunctive mood in written and spoken Italian.  Che is included in parentheses in the subject pronoun column as a reminder that these verb forms are typically introduced with  the conjunction che.  Also,  make sure to include the subject pronoun in your sentence after che for clarity, since the singular forms are identical.

Practice the subjunctive verbs out loud by saying che , the subject  pronoun and then the correct verb form that follows!

Avere – to have – Subjunctive Mood

(che) io	abbia	I have
(che) tu	abbia	you (familiar) have
(che) Lei (che) lei/lui	abbia	you (polite) have she/he has
(che) noi	abbiamo	we have
(che) voi	abbiate	you all have
(che) loro	abbiano	they have

 

Essere – to be – Subjunctive Mood

(che) io	sia	I am
(che) tu	sia	you (familiar) are
(che) Lei (che) lei/lui	sia	you (polite) are he/he is
(che) noi	siamo	we are
(che) voi	siate	you all are
(che) loro	siano	they are

 

Stare – to stay (to be) – Subjunctive Mood

(che) io	stia	I stay (am)
(che) tu	stia	you (familiar) stay (are)
(che) Lei (che) lei/lui	stia	you (polite) stay (are) she/he stays (is)
(che) noi	stiamo	we stay (are)
(che) voi	stiate	you all stay (are)
(che) loro	stiano	they stay (are)

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Speak Italian: How to Use the Italian Subjunctive Mood (Part 1)

Example Phrases Using “Stare” in the Present Tense Subjunctive Mood

To follow are some examples of when the Italian subjunctive mood in the present tense might be used in conversation during daily life.  Notice that the English translation is the same for the present tense examples and the Italian subjunctive examples used in the sentences below.

We will start with sentences using stare (to stay/to be) in the subjunctive mood because this verb comes up very commonly in this modern life, when not a day seems to go by without an email being sent and received! The old formalities of opening and closing a letter have returned! After the greeting in an email, especially if there has not been recent communication, it is customary to mention a hope that all is well with friends and family. Here is a case for the subjunctive!

Present Tense Phrase		Present Tense Subjunctive Phrase
Tu stai bene.	You (familiar) are well.	Spero che tu stia bene.	I hope that you (familiar) are well.
Lei sta bene.	You (polite) are well. She is well.	Spero che lei stia bene.	I hope that you (polite) are well. I hope that she is well.
Lui sta bene.	He is well.	Spero che lui stia bene.	I hope that he is well.
La famiglia sta bene.	The family is well.	Spero che la tua famiglia* stia bene.	I hope that the family* is well.
Tutti stanno bene.	Everyone/body is well.	Spero che tutti stiano bene.	I hope that everyone/everybody is well.

*Famiglia = family and is a collective noun and takes the third person singular.

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Example Phrases Using “Avere” in the Present Tense Subjunctive Mood

We often close an email with a hope as well—for a nice weekend, for instance, or that we will see the person we have contacted sometime soon. In this case, the phrases we most commonly use will need to use avere (to have) in the subjunctive mood.

Present Tense Phrase		Present Tense Subjunctive Phrase
Buona settimana!	Have a good week!	Spero che tu abbia una buona settimana.	I hope that you have a good week!
Buon fine settimana!	Have a good weekend!	Spero che tu abbia un buon fine settimana.	I hope that you have a good weekend!
Buona giornata. Buona serata.	Have a good day. Have a good evening.	Spero che tu abbia una buona giornata/buona serata.	I hope that you have a good day/evening.

 

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Example Phrases Using “Essere” in the Present Tense Subjunctive Mood

The verb essere (to be) is commonly used when describing someone’s characteristics to someone else.  But what if we are not sure that someone possesses a certain characteristic, or we would like someone to possess a characteristic we fear they may not have? Then we must use the subjunctive mood in our sentence! Here are a few examples. How many more can you think of?

Present Tense Phrase		Present Tense Subjunctive Phrase
Lei è bella.	She is beautiful.	Mi sembra che lei sia bella.	She seems beautiful to me. (It seems to me that she is beautiful.)
L’insegnante è simpatico.	The teacher is nice.	Spero che l’insegnante sia simpatico.	I hope that the teacher is nice.
Dio è in cielo.	God is in heaven.	Credo che Dio sia in cielo.	I believe that God is in heaven.
L’attrice è brava in quel film.	The actress is great in that film.	Penso che l’attrice sia brava in quel film.	I think that the actress is great in that film.
Lui è fortunato.	He is fortunate.	Spero che lui sia fortunato.	I hope that he is fortunate.
Lei è contenta.	She is happy.	Mi pare che lei sia contenta.	She seems happy to me. (It seems to me that she is happy.)
Loro sono bravi cantanti.	They are wonderful singers.	Può darsi che loro siano bravi cantanti.	Perhaps they are wonderful singers.
Lui è un bravo studente.	He is a good student.	Dubito che lui sia un bravo studente.	I doubt that he is a good student.
Lei è sposata.	She is marrried.	È probabile che lei sia sposata.	She is probably married. (It is probable that she is married.)
Loro sono ricchi.	They are rich.	È possibile che loro siano ricchi.	It is possible that they are rich.

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How to Use the Verb “To Wonder”
 “Chiedersi” 

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The verb chiedersi,  from Rule 4, is worthy of special mention.  Chiedersi is the verb Italians use to describe the idea of “wondering” if something might happen.

“Mi chiedo…” literally means, “I ask myself,” which translates into “I wonder.” This verb is often followed by the Italian word for “if” to make the sentence, “Mi chiedo se…” or,  “I wonder if…”  Given that this phrase ends in the word “if,” at first glance it may seem to fall into the category of  improbable hypothetical phrases, which need a special conjugation (to be discussed in blogs to follow). But, cheidersi  in its present tense form actually takes the present  subjunctive mood,  just as the other phrases in Rule 4 that we have learned about.

So, you already know how to use this verb and can easily wonder about things that might be!

Below is an example of how to use the verb chiedersi.  We will revisit  chiedersi  again as we continue to learn about the subjunctive mood in blogs to come!

Mi chiedo se lui sia un attore bravo in quel film.
I wonder if he is a great actor in that film.

 

 

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Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, is the author of the
Conversational Italian for Travelers series of books and a teacher of Italian for travelers to Italy in the Peoria and Chicago area.
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Italian Subjunctive (Part 1): Speak Italian!