Subjunctive Verbs in Descriptions
of Indefinite People or Things
Part One

"A word that describes a person or a thing is an adjective." You probably heard this from your English teacher in school. A phrase can also function as an adjective and describe a person or a thing. Look at this example.

The suitcase with the blue tag is John's (is of John).

La maleta con la etiqueta azul es de Juan.

"With the blue tag" is a phrase which tells us which suitcase. It describes the suitcase.

Some phrases are known as clauses. Clauses are phrases that have a verb which matches a subject. In a sense, we could think of a clause as a sentence within a sentence. Look at this example.

The suitcase that has the blue tag is John's.

La maleta que tiene la etiqueta azul es de Juan.

In this case, "that has the blue tag" is the adjective clause which describes the suitcase. However, in this case, we use the verb "has", and it matches "suitcase". The suitcase is the subject of the verb "has". It is what has the blue tag. The word "that" is technically the subject of "has" in the phrase. It is what we call a "relative pronoun". Ordinary pronouns have fixed meanings. Relative pronouns only have meaning in context. They must relate to some noun in the sentence. In this case, "that" relates to "suitcase". The word "suitcase" is what we call the "antecedent" of the adjective clause. It is what we are describing. It is the "target" of the description.

Now here is the important point. In the examples above, we are speaking about a specific suitcase. We know which one we are talking about. We have seen it. We have experienced it as part of our reality. We have seen it. We know that it exists and we know which one we are talking about.

Now let's look at another example. Let's pretend that we are in the airport looking for our luggage. We ask someone to help.

Is there a suitcase that has a blue tag?

¿ Hay una maleta que tenga una etiqueta azul?

Notice that in this case, we had to use "tenga", the subjunctive form of "has". This is the form that we used in "feeling" sentences. Here we have to use the subjunctive if the adjective clause is describing a noun that we have not really experienced in our reality. It is someone that we can imagine as something that could exist and it might exist, but we don't actually have a true experience with it in reality. We don't have a specific suitcase in mind for sure. Any suitcase that might have a blue tag could be one that we would be wanting to check out as a possibility.

Let's practice identifying these cases where we speak of something that might exist, but isn't a particular one that we are familiar with, and the use of the subjunctive in the descriptions of the non-specific things or people.

1. There is a secretary in the office that speaks Spanish.
2. Is there a secretary in the office that speaks Spanish?
3. I don't know if there is a secretary in the office that speaks Spanish.
4. Do you know if there is a secretary in the office that speaks Spanish?
5. There is someone here that speaks Spanish.
6. Is there someone here that speaks Spanish?
7. I don't know if there is someone here that speaks Spanish.
8. Do you know if there is someone here that speaks Spanish.
9. We need to find someone who speaks Spanish.
10. We can't find anyone who speaks Spanish.
11. There's nobody here who speaks Spanish.
12. There is a secretary in the office that can speak Spanish.
13. Is there a secretary in the office that can speak Spanish?
14. I don't know if there is a secretary in the office that can speak Spanish.
15. Do you know if there is a secretary in the office that can speak Spanish?
16. There is someone here that can speak Spanish.
17. Is there someone here that can speak Spanish?
18. I don't know if there is someone here that can speak Spanish.
19. Do you know if there is someone here that can speak Spanish.
20. We need to find someone who can speak Spanish.
21. We can't find anyone who can speak Spanish.
22. There's nobody here who can speak Spanish.
23. There isn't a secretary in the office who can speak Spanish.
24. I hope that there is a secretary in the office who can speak Spanish.
25. There was a secretary in the office that spoke Spanish.
26. Did you know that there was a secretary in the office that spoke Spanish?
27. Did you know if there was a secretary in the office that spoke Spanish?
28. Was there someone in the office that spoke Spanish?
29. I thought that there was going to be someone in the office that spoke Spanish.
30. We were hoping that there would be someone in the office that spoke Spanish.
    
    END of Part One
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

    Click back button in browser to return to main text Hay una secretaria en la oficina que habla español.

    Click back button in browser to return to main text ¿ Hay una secretaria in la oficina que hable español?

    Click back button in browser to return to main text Yo no sé si hay una secretaria en la oficina que hable español.

    Click back button in browser to return to main text ¿ Sabes si hay una secretaria en la oficina que hable español?

    Click back button in browser to return to main text Hay alguien aquí que habla español.

    Click back button in browser to return to main text ¿ Hay alguien aquí que hable español?

    Click back button in browser to return to main text Yo no sé si hay alguien aquí que hable español.

    Click back button in browser to return to main text ¿ Sabes si hay alguien aquí que hable español.

    Click back button in browser to return to main text Nosotros necesitamos encontrar a alguien que hable español.

    Click back button in browser to return to main text Nosotros no podemos encontrar a nadie que hable español.

    Click back button in browser to return to main text No hay nadie aquí que hable español.

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    Click back button in browser to return to main text Yo no sé si hay una secretaria en la oficina que pueda hablar español.

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    Click back button in browser to return to main text Hay alguien aquí que puede hablar español.

    Click back button in browser to return to main text ¿ Hay alguien aquí que pueda hablar español?

    Click back button in browser to return to main text Yo no sé si hay alguien aquí que pueda hablar español.

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    Click back button in browser to return to main text Nosotros necesitamos encontrar a alguien que pueda hablar español.

    Click back button in browser to return to main text Nosotros no podemos encontrar a nadie que pueda hablar español.

    Click back button in browser to return to main text No hay nadie aquí que pueda hablar español.

    Click back button in browser to return to main text No hay ninguna secretaria en la oficina que pueda hablar español.

    Click back button in browser to return to main text Yo espero que haya una secretaria en la oficina que pueda hablar español.

    Click back button in browser to return to main text Había una secretaria en la oficina que hablaba español.

    Click back button in browser to return to main text ¿ Sabías que había una secretaria en la oficina que hablaba español?

    Click back button in browser to return to main text ¿ Sabías si había una secretaria en la oficina que hablara español?

    Click back button in browser to return to main text ¿ Había alguien en la oficina que hablara español?

    Click back button in browser to return to main text Yo creía que iba a haber alguien en la oficina que hablara español.

    Click back button in browser to return to main text Nosotros esperábamos que hubiera alguien en la oficina que hablara español.

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