Verb marking showing whether something is stated as fact, wished for, commanded or hypothetical.
In precise terms
An inflectional category expressing modality on the verb. Common moods include indicative, subjunctive, imperative, conditional and optative; which of these a language grammaticalises varies widely.
An example
Espero que vengas.
I hope you come.
What is going on here
'Vengas' is subjunctive, triggered by the main-clause verb 'espero'. Spanish requires the subjunctive after verbs of hoping, wishing and doubting — the mood is selected by the grammar, not chosen freely for effect.
Why this matters when you are learning a language
Mood is where politeness, doubt and hypothesis live. In Romance languages a missing subjunctive is a plain grammatical error, and it is one of the last things learners master.
Across languages
Spanish and French have a productive subjunctive; English has only remnants ('if I were'). Turkish has an optative; Ancient Greek had indicative, subjunctive, optative and imperative all in active use.
Related terms
- Modal verbIntermediate — A verb expressing possibility, necessity, permission or ability — can, must, should, may.
- VerbBeginner — A word for an action, event or state — what is happening.
- TenseBeginner — Grammatical marking that locates an event in time — past, present or future.
- AspectIntermediate — Grammatical marking of how an event unfolds — whether it is ongoing, completed, repeated or just beginning.
Where to go next
- Language guides — See grammatical and lexical categories used in context.
- Terminology quiz — Test the terms on this page.