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Per the excellent advice of Carlos Alejo, I've restructured this question to get more to the heart of what I'm seeking (thanks Carlos).

Is there any case in which the subjunctive mood can be used in simple sentences? And by simple, I mean sentences with only one verb and no relative clauses (neither present nor omitted). Or does a verb in the subjunctive mood always need a second verb in the indicative mood?

UPDATE: Well, yes, there is a case where the subjunctive mood can be used in a simple sentence.

Quisiera algo de agua, por favor. | I would like some water, please.

Can anyone think of any additional examples of using the subjunctive in simple sentences.

Rock Anthony Johnson
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    Every sentence in the lyrics has two clauses, the first one is just omitted. So you have "me dijo que se lo entregara a Dios", "me dijo que no me sintiera solo", "me dijo que estar solo era mejor". You can abbreviate that to "me dijo que se lo entregara a Dios, que no me sintiera solo, que estar solo era mejor" as done in the lyrics. – Charlie Apr 17 '17 at 07:59
  • Thanks @CarlosAlejo. Now I feel a little silly for not realizing what you've stated. What is your translation of the bolded lyric? – Rock Anthony Johnson Apr 17 '17 at 08:02
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    Oh, please, don't feel silly, that wasn't my intention. The translation is "he told me not to feel alone". Your choice is also valid ("he told me I shouldn't feel alone"). – Charlie Apr 17 '17 at 08:06
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    Now that I think of it, maybe you can reword the question like this: Is there any case in which the subjunctive mood can be used in simple sentences? I mean, sentences with only one verb and no relative clauses (neither present nor omitted). Or does a verb in the subjunctive mood always need a second verb in the indicative mood? I can't think of any example right now... I mean, just drop the example and make emphasis in the last part of your question. – Charlie Apr 17 '17 at 09:32
  • Thanks again, @CarlosAlejo. I've updated the question as you suggested. – Rock Anthony Johnson Apr 17 '17 at 09:53
  • Don't mention it. :-) Thanks to you for accepting my suggestion (+1)! – Charlie Apr 17 '17 at 09:56
  • Well, @CarlosAlejo, I found such a case and updated the original post. I'm hoping others respond with additional cases. – Rock Anthony Johnson Apr 17 '17 at 10:08
  • Note that the second example should be "podrías traerme...". And you use two verbs in the first one ("querer" and "ganar"). – Charlie Apr 17 '17 at 10:10
  • @CarlosAlejo, I fixed the question, thanks. Now I better stop. I'm being warned against having discussions in the comments section. Thanks for your help with this. – Rock Anthony Johnson Apr 17 '17 at 10:18
  • Let us continue this discussion in chat. – Charlie Apr 17 '17 at 10:18
  • It's rare in modern Spanish but very possible, and it takes on an exhortative meaning (this is the origin of formal and negative commands) – user0721090601 Apr 17 '17 at 10:29
  • Note that while the conjugation is subjunctive in quisiera, the meaning is not (proof is that you can't say quisiese algo de ago). – user0721090601 Apr 19 '17 at 02:53
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    Does the following fit your requirements? Que tengas éxito. – aparente001 Apr 19 '17 at 23:02

2 Answers2

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Creo que el caso más habitual del subjuntivo como modo del verbo principal de la oración (sin conjunciones que lo introduzcan) se da en las expresiones de deseo (donde el verbo "desear", "querer", "esperar" está obviamente implícito), por ejemplo:

  • Dios te oiga (Deseo/Quiero/Espero que Dios te oiga).

  • Maldito sea el que me estafó.

  • Ojalá tenga razón (el adverbio "ojalá" reemplaza a los verbos de deseo antes mencionados).

También es posible encontrar el subjuntivo como único verbo de la oración dentro de una subordinada cuando la proposición principal está elidida, por ejemplo:

  • Si tan solo tuviera la respuesta... (sería tan feliz).

También existen frases idiomáticas, como:

  • Vaya novia que te conseguiste.

  • Valga la redundancia (normalmente dicho después de haber cometido una redundancia).

(Oops, I just realized I should have answered in English. If you need me to rewrite the answer in English, just let me know.)

Gustavson
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  • Excellent answer. No English necessary - thank you! You've opened my mind by giving examples of the subjunctive in, as you describe, "as a mode of the main verb," and what @CarlosAlejo describes as "a simple sentence: Now I can think of another example: "Me gustaría tener diez hijos. Pero solo si yo fuera rico." – Rock Anthony Johnson Apr 19 '17 at 04:18
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Tal vez / Quizás / Acaso can usually be used with either the subjuntive or the indicative to indicate the speaker's mood / belief about likelihood while involving no other verbs. The subjunctive usually represents a lower probability.

  • Tal vez él lo quiere. / Tal vez él lo quiera. - Perhaps he wants it.

Reading into the nuance might tease out something like:

  • Tal vez él lo quiere. - He could very well want it.

  • Tal vez él lo quiera. - It could be possible he wants it.

Haven Hash
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