The Subjunctive to Express Volition

(El subjuntivo usado para expresar volicin)

Necesitan que los lleven a casa?

The Subjunctive to Express Volition

Verbs of volition express the wishes, preferences, suggestions, requests, and implied commands of the speaker. When the verb in the main clause expresses volition, the verb in the noun clause is expressed in the subjunctive mode. Following are verbs of volition.

aconsejar

to advise

pedir (i, i)

to ask

decir
desear

to tell
to wish

permitir
prohibir querer (ie)

to permit
to prohibit to want

insistir (en) to insist mandar necesitar to order to need

recomendar (ie) to recommend sugerir (ie, i) to suggest

The Subjunctive to Express Volition

With the concept of volition, the subject of the verb in the main clause tries to influence the subject of the dependent noun clase, in other words, to cause or prevent something.
Carmen (querer) + yo (ir) Carmen quiere que yo vaya con ella de vacaciones. Carmen wants me to go with her on vacation.

ustedes (necesitar) + yo (llevar) Necesitan que los lleve a las montaas? Do you need (for) me to take you to the mountains? mi novia (desear) + yo (recoger) Mi novia desea que yo recoja las maletas. My girlfriend wants me to pick up the luggage.

The Subjunctive to Express Volition

As mentioned in a previous presentation, when there is no change of subject for the two verbs, we use the infinitive instead of a noun clause.

Sofa (desear) + Sofa (ir) Sofa desea ir a pescar. Sofa wants to go fishing. yo (querer) + yo (montar) Yo quiero montar a caballo. I want to go horseback riding.

The Subjunctive to Express Volition

Sentences using verbs such as aconsejar, decir, pedir, recomendar, and sugerir require an indirect object pronoun. This pronoun refers to the subject of the dependent clause.

Le aconsejo que (Ud.) nade ms. I advise you to swim more. Literally, I advise that you swim more. Nos piden que (nosotros) hagamos ms ejercicio. They ask us to exercise more. Literally, They ask that we exercise more.

The Subjunctive to Express Volition

When verbs of communication such as decir and escribir are used in the main clause and the subject of the verb is simply reporting information (telling someone something), the indicative is used in the dependent clause. INFORMATION

Julia le dice a Juan que llegamos maana. Julia tells Juan that we are arriving tomorrow. Les escribo que volvemos el sbado. Im writing them (to inform them) that were returning on Saturday.
Here, the subjects are not trying to cause or prevent anything, but are merely informing someone of something.

The Subjunctive to Express Volition

If the verb in the main clause is used in the sense of a command (telling someone to do something), the subjunctive is used. COMMAND

Julia le dice a Juan que llegue maana. Julia tells Juan to arrive tomorrow. Les escribo que vuelvan el sbado. Im writing for them to return on Saturday.
Here, the subjects are clearly trying to influence someone.

FIN