2.7.3: Gramática-el subjuntivo en cláusulas nominativas

There are three kinds of subordinate clauses in which the subjunctive can appear in Spanish.

First we have the subjunctive in nominal clauses.  These are the Wants/wishes/doubt that are commonly taught to many Spanish language learners.  They are called nominal clauses because the whole part of the sentence that has the subjunctive is functioning as a noun.

Let’s see a few examples (veamos unos ejemplos):

The professor like cats.

A la profesora le gustan los gatos

The professor likes the students to turn their work in on time.

The professor likes that the students turn their work in on time.

A la profesora le gusta que los estudiantes entreguen la tarea a tiempo.

And here’s an example from the texts we’re reading in this chapter:

(Las 7 P del marketing) Para lograrlo, es importante que las personas que dan la cara por la marca sepan tratar bien al cliente.

¿Qué es importante?  Saber tratar bien al cliente.

In the above examples, the underlined portion is either a noun or a nominative clause that works like a noun.  We use the subjunctive in the nominative clause here because what the professor likes is her business. She can like cats, she can like that you turn your homework in on time and it’s all her opinion.  You can like whatever you want. Her likes and appreciations are her own.