When we introduce a sentence with a verb that expresses a wish or a feeling, whether affirmative or negative, it is followed by the subjunctive.
Let's see how it works when the verb in the main clause (expressing the wish or feeling) is conjugated in the conditional tense.
For example:
- "Desearía que" (I [would] wish that...)
- "Me preocuparía que.../no me preocuparía que..." (I would/wouldn't worry that...)
- "Preferiría que..." (I'd prefer that...)
- "Me gustaría que.../no me gustaría que" (I would like that...)
Desearía que todo pasara rápido y pudiéramos dejar esto atrás.I would like everything to go quickly and be able to leave this behind.
¿No le preocuparía que su hijo se quedara soltero para siempre?Wouldn't she worry that her son remained single forever?
In all the examples above, what is wished for or felt is that something happens or does not happen in the future or at the moment of speaking. This is always expressed with El Pretérito Imperfecto Subjuntivo.
Note that if the subject in the main clause and the subordinate clause is the same, then we omit que and use the infinitive. For example:
A mí me preocuparía tener que seguir trabajando a los 70 años.
I'd worry if I had to continue working when I'm 70 years old.
Te entristecería ver a tus hijos sin trabajo durante mucho tiempo.
You would be sad to see your children out of work for a long time.
Bear in mind that wish and feeling verbs sometimes take "si" instead of "que", but the usage is the same. For example:
See also Using the Spanish subjunctive with verbs that express "wish" and "feeling"
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