So I often jokingly say that Shakira gave me Spanish lessons since when I was learning full-time I would listen to her music a lot and make translations and everything. Today I want to show you all different subjunctive triggers as illustrated by Shakira, so hopefully you'll be able to remember them :) Remember, these aren't ALL subjunctive triggers, just some common ones. Also, my favorite era is ¿Dónde están los ladrones? so a bulk of my examples come from that album :) This also doubles as a MUSIC HISTORY lesson woo.
Aunque me levante volveré a caer
Si te acercas nada es útil para esta inútil
In this case, the subjunctive trigger is aunque, although it doesn't always require subjunctive. When aunque is followed by the subjunctive, it means "even if", and when it's followed by indicative, it means "even though". This is present as well in Inevitable:
Y, para ser más franca, nadie piensa en ti como lo hago yo
Aunque te dé lo mismo
But back to Ciega, Sordomuda:
Si pudiera exorcizarme de tu voz
Si pudiera escaparme de tu nombre
Si pudiera arrancarme el corazón
Y esconderme para no sentirme nuevamente
Here the trigger is si, which is introducing a hypothetical if clause. In these cases, it's followed by the imperfect tense. When you finish these clauses, you usually use the conditional, for example: si pudiera exorcizarme de tu voz, lo haría de una vez.
Si doesn't always require subjunctive though, this is just to show that the speaker thinks it's not as plausible. For (a non-Shakira) example, look at these sentences:
a) Si tienes el dinero, puedes comprarte una mansión.
b) Si tuvieras el dinero, podrías comprarte una mansión.
In sentence (a), imagine that you just told me you won the lottery -- I know you have money, so I'm advising you of things you could do. Or maybe I'm just stating a simple fact, people with enough money to buy a mansion can do so. In sentence (b), I don't think you have the money to buy a mansion, but if you DID, you would be able to buy one.
Cuando memorices todos sus recovecos
Y decidas otra vez regresar
Ya no estaré aquí en el mismo lugar
The subjunctive trigger here is cuando. These events aren't something that have happened yet, so subjunctive is used. You use indicative for repeated actions and things in the past though. A good translation might be "whenever you do x".
Sé que volverás el día
En que ella te haga trizas
Sin almohadas para llorar
Here there isn't really a trigger, but subjunctive is used because el día isn't specified, Shaki has no idea when that day will be. This is used similarly in constructions like "busco a alguien que sepa inglés". The person you're looking for isn't a specific person, you're looking for someone who might know English. Replace it with sabe, and now whoever you're talking about is a clear person -- the alguien you're looking for knows English, maybe they're wearing a pink scarf, etc. Maybe you're looking for singer-songwriter Shakira, who sings in both Spanish and English. You can see this again in Moscas en la Casa:
Cazando motivos que me hagan creer
Que aún me encuentro con vida
No Creo (I linked the MTV unplugged version because ugh love)
No creo que el mar algún día
Pierda el sabor a sal
No creo en mí todavía
No creo en el azar
Y'all, this is the D in WEIRDO - doubt / denial !!! It's like Shakira wrote this song SPECIFICALLY so you would learn subjunctive. Phrases like no creo, no pienso, no estoy seguro, dudo, etc. will always require subjunctive. You can see it again in Te Aviso, Te Anuncio:
Nunca pensé que doliera el amor así
Cuando se entierra en el medio de un no y un sí
Si algún día decidieras
Alejarte nuevamente de aquí
Cerraría cada puerta
Para que nunca pudieras salir
Whoa, do you see that if clause?? That's not the focus here though, right now we're looking at para que, which means "so that". You need to add que + subjunctive when the subject changes, look at these (again, non-Shakira examples):
c) Lo hice para hablarte.
d) Lo hice para que me hablaras.
In sentence (c), I am the subject and the one trying to talk to you. In sentence (d), I did the thing so that you would talk to me. Another question you might have: why are both Shakira and I (both musical geniuses) using imperfect tense? The answer is simple, just to match the tense of the other verb. Look at these sentences and it'll be a lot clearer:
e) Me gusta que hables con tu papá.
f) Me gustaría que hablaras con tu papá.
Present tense goes with indicative present tense, and imperfect goes with all indicative past tenses (preterite, imperfect, and technically conditional) ANYWAY enough divergence from Shakira examples.
Yo quiero que vuelvas
Que te están reclamando
Mis labios que hace tiempo no besas
Yo quiero que regreses
Ya ves que hasta mis manos
De tanto no tocarte me duelen, me duelen
omg, another classic, this is the W of WEIRDO: wishes / wants. When you want someone to do something, you need que + subjunctive to change the subject over to them. Check it out again in La Tortura:
No pido que todos los días sean de sol
No pido que todos los viernes sean de fiesta
Tampoco te pido que vuelvas rogando perdón
Si lloras con los ojos secos
O quizás deba esperar
A que el insulto del reloj
Acabe de planear mi fin
A two for one! I colored them so you can see them pretty easily. The first subjunctive trigger is quizás, which means perhaps. The use of subjunctive isn't required here, and I've seen people say they are interchangeable and others say that using subjunctive means that you're doubtful about what you've just said (so Shakira says maybe she should wait, but probably not).
The second here is esperar a que, which falls into the W of WEIRDO. Well, sort of. 'Esperar que' means 'to hope for', while 'esperar a que' means 'to wait for'. But both of them need the subjunctive, unless you're the subject and the thing being hoped on, in which case you use the infinitive (espero haber terminado el proyecto antes de que acabe el día)
Pies Descalzos, Sueños Blancos
Contestar solo aquello
Y sentir solo esto
Y que Dios nos ampare
De malos pensamientos
We're jumping to Shakira's first album and to one of my favorite songs for this one. This is like a command - may God protect us from bad thoughts. If it helps you to understand, put a mental quiero, espero, or ojalá in front of that que, since it's something you are wanting.
Me gusta que me mires como un delincuente
Soy Caperucita, y tú eres el lobo que miente
We already saw this in examples (e) and (f), but me gusta que is always followed by subjunctive. This is the E in WEIRDO - Emotions. Some other verbs that fall into this category: alegrarse, encantar, tener miedo, temer, lamentar.
Una loba en el armario
Tiene ganas de salir (Ah-ooh)
Deja que se coma el barrio
Antes de irte a dormir
Okay, so this is the R in WEIRDO - requests, recommendations, requierments. I know dejar doesn't seem like any of those, but this is also the group for exigir and prohibir, so it makes sense to put it here. You're allowing la loba to go around town, eating men after finding them with her radar especial para localizar solteros.
Suerte que es tener labios sinceros
Para besarte con más ganas
Suerte que mis pechos sean pequeños
Y no los confundas con montañas
So I'm like 90% sure this counts as WEIRDO's I - Impersonal Expressions. Normally you'll see these in the form of es + adjective + que, (es bueno que, no es bueno que, etc.), but this one is just a little strange in form. Think of it as "It's lucky that x".
And that's it! I think we covered all of WEIRDO minus O - Ojalá, and then some. I hope you learned something! And if you'd like to learn more grammar concepts with music, let me know! :) (also if anyone has even more concrete grammar knowledge and wants to correct anything let me know as well ahhahaha)
