Best Wishes for 2025, a Year Full of Possibilities, and… the Spanish Subjunctive
In my intermediate conversation classes, we dedicate significant time to the subjunctive.
This verb mood (not tense) is used to express uncertainty, doubt, wishes, opinions, or hypothetical situations, essentially whenever you want to convey something that isn't a objectively true or factual for everyone.
While largely absent in English, here are a few examples where the subjunctive still appears (subjunctive forms are italicized in bold):
If I were you, I would study harder.
The teacher recommended that Mary arrive on time.
Truth be told, the subjunctive is complicated!
My Spanish students tend to focus on using the subjunctive to express uncertainty, doubt, or opinions—these triggers feel intuitive to them. However, they often overlook its use for expressing possibility, pending actions, and future wishes.
Recently, I found a shining example of this use of subjunctive in this list of New Year’s wishes in Spanish. I’ve asked my students to select 2-3 of their favorites from the list and then to write an original one for themselves.
Here’s the one I crafted for Facebook:
¡Feliz Año Nuevo! Que el 2025 sea un año lleno de aventuras y oportunidades para arriesgarse, crecer y aprender.
The word sea is the subjunctive form of the verb ser. We use sea instead of es here because we’re talking about hopes and possibilities for 2025—a future that’s wide open and uncertain. We wish for growth, adventures, and valuable lessons, but who knows?
Here’s the English equivalent:
Happy New Year! May 2025 be a year full of adventures and opportunities to take risks, grow, and learn.
This year I am trying to take this New Year’s wish to heart. Despite being seriously risk-averse, I am going to push myself to try things that take me way out of my comfort zone, like writing a weekly blog with reflections and tips for learning the Spanish language.
Thank you for reading the first installment! In a future post, I’ll share details about another “risky” goal I’ve set for 2025.
In the meantime, do you have any resolutions or bold goals for the new year? I’d love to hear them!
Un abrazo,
Cynthia
P.S. Here’s a fun real-world example of the subjunctive in English:
Present indicative: Generally, Steph Curry makes a lot of 3-point shots in a game.
(This is factual.)
Subjunctive: May Steph Curry make all his 3-point shots tonight!
(Ben and I will be at the game. Wish us—and Steph— luck!)
