Español — Subjunctive: influence verbs
When one subject tries to influence what another does — asking, advising, forbidding, permitting — Spanish uses the pattern verb + que + subjunctive: Te pido que vengas, El médico me aconseja que descanse. Two different subjects are required.
How it works
Verbs of asking, advising and ordering (pedir, aconsejar, recomendar, prohibir, permitir, and decir when it means to order) take que + a verb in the subjunctive: Te aconsejo que estudies, El jefe prohíbe que fumemos, La ley permite que voten. The influencer and the doer must be different people.
Examples
| Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Te pido que me ayudes. | I ask you to help me. |
| Te aconsejo que descanses. | I advise you to rest. |
| Le recomiendo que lea el libro. | I recommend that he read the book. |
| El médico me prohíbe que fume. | The doctor forbids me to smoke. |
| Mis padres me permiten que salga. | My parents allow me to go out. |
| El profesor nos dice que estudiemos. | The teacher tells us to study. |
Good to know
If there is only one subject, use the infinitive, not que: say Quiero descansar (not Quiero que descanse). Also, decir takes the subjunctive only when it gives an order (Te digo que vengas = come!); when it reports a fact it uses the indicative (Te digo que viene = he is coming).