The subjunctive is possibly one of the Italian grammar topics that students dread the most.
As a matter of fact, it is a huge topic that requires time and effort, but if you break it into small chunks, it is absolutely accessible and can be easily understood. Learning how to use the Italian subjunctive quickly is not possible, but if you take some time to work on it, you’ll see that it is easier than other Italian grammar topics.
In Italian, the subjunctive has four tenses: present (congiuntivo presente), past (congiuntivo passato), imperfect (congiuntivo imperfetto), and past perfect (congiuntivo trapassato).
Also, the subjunctive is used in Italian both in main sentences (an independent sentence with a subject and verb that can stand alone as a complete sentence) and in relative clauses (a subordinate sentence that contains a subject and verb but cannot stand alone as a complete sentence, because it has no meaning on its own – it needs the main sentence to work properly).
Needless to say, this post cannot cover all these aspects because it would be overwhelming. In this first post, we’ll focus on the present tense (congiuntivo presente) in relative clauses, which is the most common use of the Italian subjunctive in a conversation. Additionally, I will only include the conjugations of three standard verbs and three common irregular verbs to keep this post concise. You can always refer to your grammar book for further details.
Present subjunctive – Standard verbs
| Amare (verbo in -are) | Vendere (verbo in -ere) | Sentire (verbo in -ire) |
| che io ami | che io venda | che io senta |
| che tu ami | che tu venda | che tu senta |
| che lui/lei ami | che lui/lei venda | che lui/lei senta |
| che noi amiamo | che noi vendiamo | che noi sentiamo |
| che voi amiate | che voi vendiate | che voi sentiate |
| che loro amino | che loro vendano | che loro sentano |
Present subjunctive – Three irregular verbs
| Essere | Avere | Andare |
| che io sia | che io abbia | che io vada |
| che tu sia | che tu abbia | che tu vada |
| che lui/lei sia | che lui/lei abbia | che lui/lei vada |
| che noi siamo | che noi abbiamo | che noi andiamo |
| che voi siate | che voi abbiate | che voi andiate |
| che loro siano | che loro abbiano | che loro vadano |
So let’s now see how to use the Italian subjunctive in the present tense and relative clauses.
In general, the subjunctive is used to express feelings, hopes, wishes, desires, points of view, or doubts. In relative clauses, it is commonly introduced by che or se. The subjunctive is required in the relative clause if the main sentence has a verb that falls into the following categories:
1.Verbs that express an opinion, a point of view, like credere, pensare, ritenere, supporre, immaginare, avere l’impressione che.
For example:
Credo che tu non capisca quello che intendo (I think you don’t understand what I mean)
Penso che mia mamma sia un po’ stanca oggi (I think my mom is a bit tired today)
Ho l’impressione che i miei genitori vogliano andare a casa (I have the impression that my parents want to go home)
Be careful: you may think that the verb sapere might express an opinion, but it doesn’t. Sapere expresses certainty, so it doesn’t need congiuntivo -> So che tu sei la persona giusta per questo lavoro (I know you’re the right person for this job). Obviously, if sapere is in the negative form, it expresses uncertainty and requires the subjunctive -> Non so se tu sia la persona giusta per questo lavoro (I don’t know if you’re the right person for this job)
2. Verbs that express a wish or a desire, like volere, desiderare, preferire, gradire che
For example:
Marco vuole che vada con lui alla festa stasera (Marco wants me to go to the party with him tonight)
Mia mamma desidera che io la aiuti in casa, ma io non lo faccio mai (My mom wants me to help her with house chores but I never do it)
Preferisco che loro non vengano in vacanza con noi (I prefer them not to go on holiday with us)
3. Verbs that express hope or fear, like sperare, augurarsi, aspettarsi, temere, aver paura che
For example:
Spero che mio figlio capisca che sta sbagliando (I hope my son understands he’s making a mistake)
Mi auguro che ci sia anche tu domani (I hope you’ll be there tomorrow)
Ho paura che il mio fidanzato mi lasci (I fear my boyfriend will break up with me)
4. Verbs that express doubt or uncertainty, like non essere sicuri, non essere certi, non sapere, dubitare, ignorare
For example:
Non sono sicura che Fabio venga alla festa domani (I am not sure Fabio will come to the party tomorrow)
Dubito che loro guadagnino abbastanza per vivere (I doubt they earn enough to live)
Ignoro se sia possibile avere un rimborso (I don’t know if it is possible to get a refund)
5. Verbs that express feelings, like sono felice, sono contento, far piacere, essere dispiaciuto, dispiacere, non vedere l’ora
For example:
Sono felice che tu sia qui con me (I am happy you’re here with me)
Mi dispiace che Maria parta così presto (I am sad Maria is leaving so soon)
Non vedo l’ora che tu torni a casa (I can’t wait for you to be home)
Please note: if the subject of the main sentence and that of the relative clause are the same, you don’t need to use the subjunctive, yet the infinitive + di.
For example:
Io spero che tu raggiunga i tuoi obiettivi (I hope you’ll achieve your goals) -> the subject is different, so the subjunctive is needed
Io spero di raggiungere i miei obiettivi (I hope I’ll achieve my goals) -> the subject is the same, so no subjunctive is needed
or
Voi credete che lui sia il migliore (You think he’s the best) -> the subject is different, so the subjunctive is needed
Voi credete di essere i migliori (You think you’re the best) -> the subject is the same, so no subjunctive is needed
I hope this post was useful to understand better how to use the Italian subjunctive. Don’t forget that, as I always do for this type of post, I have created a downloadable PDF file that you can keep for future reference. You can find it in Your Italian Toolbox, the private page on my site where I upload all language-learning materials, under the Grammar section (access is available to subscribers of my newsletter).
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