When teaching the subjunctive in Spanish, we need to understand that this mood is very hard to perceive for native English speakers. That being said, native English speakers can still successfully learn the subjunctive with a lot of good input and a basic understanding of its common use.
Without going into too much detail, the acronym WEIRD can be used to help students remember when they should use the subjunctive.* Acronyms are easy to remember and will help students to memorize when they need to use this somewhat “foreign” concept. As they practice it more and more in situations that produce a legitimate communicative need, the idea of the subjunctive will become less and less foreign.
Wishing
We use the subjunctive when we try to express our wishes or desires. Espero que tengas un buen fin de semana. Mi mamá quiere que yo vaya al mercado.
Emotions
We use the subjunctive after using words that express emotions. For example and note the use of subjunctive following the use of emotion: Me alegro que estés bien después del accidente.
Impersonal Expressions
These are the expressions that aren’t personal, but still trigger the subjunctive. Es importante que… regreses a casa. Other such expressions include es bueno que…, es urgente que…, es necesario que…, etc.
Recommendations
When we make recommendations to people, we also trigger the subjunctive. Take this sentence as an example: Tu médico te recomienda que hagas mucho ejercicio y que tomes 8 vasos de agua cada día.
Doubt
We also trigger the subjunctive when we use expressions of doubt. Here are a couple of examples:Dudo que los Yankees ganen la Serie Mundial. No creemos que el profesor sepa la respuesta.
This is just a brief overview of the subjunctive, but this acronym can help students easily memorize when they need to use the subjunctive in Spanish.
*For a more detailed explanation for each of these and the addition of ojalá, visit SpanishDict.