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Disclaimer: The grammatical rules discussed in this article are personal abstractions and do not have any authoritative references. There may be inaccuracies or errors; this is for reference only.

Introduction

The subjunctive mood in English is used to express hypothetical or imagined situations. For example, phrases like "I wish...", "I suggest...", "If...", or "It is important that..." all fall under this category.

The subjunctive mood is quite straightforward and can be categorized into three main types:

• Making suggestions: Expressing that someone recommends or insists that another person should do something. For example: "Tom suggests that Ally should study harder" or "It’s important for Tom to study hard."
• Expressing wishes: Talking about things you wish were true but aren’t. For example: "I wish I were a cat."
• Making hypothetical statements: Speculating about situations that are unlikely or impossible. For example: "If I won the lottery, I would donate to charity."

Each of these types has fixed sentence structures. Once you learn these patterns and practice them, mastering the subjunctive mood becomes much easier.

Summary Table for the Subjunctive Mood

The three types of subjunctive mood can be summarized in the following table:

Type	Sentence Structure	Key Points	Example Sentences
Making Suggestions	Sb suggest that sb do sth	① Suggest can be replaced by other verbs like demand, ask, or insist. ② The verb after "that" must remain in its base form	I suggest that she study more. The teacher insists that he be on time.
	It's important that sb do sth	① Important can be replaced by other adjectives like essential, necessary, etc. ② The verb after "that" must remain in its base form.	It's important that she study more.
Expressing Wishes	Sb wish (that) sb did / were sth.	① Used to express wishes about things contrary to reality. ② The verb after "that" is always in the past tense. ③ Use were instead of was with the verb "be".	I wish he were here
	Sb wish (that) sb had done sth.	① Used to express regret about past events.	I wish I had studied harder for the exam. (Meaning: I didn’t study hard and regret it.)
	Sb wish (that) sb/sth would do sth	① Used to talk about unlikely or uncontrollable future events.	I wish it would stop raining.
Making Hypothetical Statements	If sb did/were sth, sb would/could/might do sth	① Used to hypothesize about situations contrary to present facts. ② Use the past tense for did/were. ③ Always use were with "be".	If I were you, I would apologize
	If sb had done sth, sb would/could/might have done sth	① Used to hypothesize about situations contrary to past facts.	If I had studied harder, I would have passed the exam
	If sb were to do sth, sb would/could/might do sth	① Used to hypothesize about highly unlikely future events.	If I were to win the lottery, I would buy a mansion

Note: In informal spoken English, grammatical accuracy is often less strict. For instance, people might say "If I was you, I’d apologize" instead of "If I were you, I would apologize."

Detailed Explanation of the Subjunctive Mood

Making Suggestions

When advising someone on what they should do, the subjunctive mood is often used to express "suggestions." This concept of suggestion is broad and includes recommendations, demands, requests, and similar actions.

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In casual spoken English, you’ll often hear the following structure:

Sb + suggest / demand/ insist/ ask / ... + (that) sb + should do + sth.

Examples:

• I suggest that she should study more.
• The teacher insists that he should be on time.
• The manager demanded that he is on time. (Spoken English is less strict, so "should" may be omitted without much concern.)

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However, in formal written English, a stricter grammatical structure is required:

Sb + suggest / demand / insist / ask / ... + that sb + do + sth

Key differences from spoken English:

1. The verb do must always be in its base form.
2. Should is not used.

My personal opinion: In formal writing, using "should" may come across as impolite, so it is omitted. However, the rule that the verb following "should" is in its base form still remains.

Examples:

• I suggest that she study more. （Using "studies" here is incorrect.）
• The teacher insists that he be on time. （The verb "be" must remain in its base form.）

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There’s another structure for expressing suggestions, using adjectives like important, essential, necessary, etc., as follows:

It is important / essential / necessary / ... + that sb + do sth.

The difference here is that the emphasis shifts from "someone suggesting something" to "something being important."

Examples in informal spoken English:

• It's essential that everyone should be present at the meeting.
• It's necessary that she should study harder to pass the exam.
• It's imperative that the equipment is checked before use.

Examples in formal written English:

• It's essential that everyone be present at the meeting.
• It's necessary that she study harder to pass the exam.
• It's imperative that the equipment be checked before use.

Expressing Wishes

When we imagine "things that are unlikely to happen," "an alternate outcome for something that has already happened," or "situations beyond our control," we can use the subjunctive mood to express a wish.

The sentence structure for expressing wishes is as follows:

Sb wish (that) + sb/sth + did / were ...

Note: In formal writing, the verb "be" must always be "were", not "was", regardless of the subject.

Examples:

• I wish I were taller. (I am not taller)
• She wishes she were in Paris. (She is not in Paris.)
• We wish we knew the answer. (We don't know the answer.)

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The verb "wish" can also be used with different tenses, but the first verb in the sentence must always be in the past tense.

Expressing regret about the past: When wishing for a different outcome for something that already happened, use the "had done" structure.

Examples:

• We wish he had called earlier. (He didn't call earlier.)
• I wish I had studied harder for the exam. (I didn't study hard.)

Expressing wishes about the future: When wishing for something to happen in the future (usually something beyond our control or unlikely to occur), use the "would do" structure.

Examples:

• I wish it would stop raining. (I can't control the weather.)
• We wish the neighbors would turn down their music. (They are playing loud music.)
• They wish the project would be completed on time. (It is not guaranteed to be completed.)

Making Hypothetical Statements

When we want to express a hypothetical situation—one that is contrary to the current reality, contrary to past events, or unlikely to happen in the future—we use conditional sentences in the subjunctive mood.

The structure of such sentences varies depending on the time frame being referred to.

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Hypotheticals Contrary to the Present: To express situations that are contrary to the present reality, we use the following structure:

If + sb + were / did + sth, sb would / could / might do + sth

Examples:

• If I were the president, I would lower taxes.
• If she were more patient, she could be a greater teacher.
• If it were warmer, we might go to the park.
• If it were not for your support, our lives would be much harder.

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Hypotheticals Contrary to the Past: To express situations that are contrary to past events, we use the past perfect tense. The structure is as follows:

If + sb + had done + sth, sb + would / could / should / might + have done + sth

Examples:

• If I had studied harder, I would have passed the exam.
• If she had left earlier, she could have caught the train.
• If it had rained, the match might have been canceled.
• If it had not been for her advice, I would have failed.
• If it had not been for the rain, we might have arrived on time.

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Hypotheticals About the Future (Unlikely Events): When describing unlikely events in the future, we use "were to" to emphasize the low probability. The structure is:

If + sb + were to do + sth, sb + would / could / should / might do + sth.

Examples:

• If I were to win the lottery, I would buy a mansion.
• If it were to snow, we might stay indoors.
• If she were to ask for help, I could assist her.

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References

• THE SUBJUNCTIVE in 6 simple steps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXZMKtPpyME