Spanish Infinitive or Subjunctive: One Subject or Two

In this lesson, you will choose between an infinitive and que plus the present subjunctive inside familiar expressions of wanting, hoping, and preferring an action. The “one subject or two” guideline is useful for these target patterns, but it is not a universal rule for every subordinate clause in Spanish.

One subject: use the infinitive

When the person who wants something is also the person who will perform the action, use the infinitive in these familiar structures.

— I want to rest.
— I hope to finish early.
— I prefer to travel by train.
— We want to live near downtown.

Two subjects: use que + subjunctive in the target pattern

When one person wants or hopes for another person to perform the action, use que plus a subjunctive clause.

— I want you to rest.
— I hope you finish early.
— I prefer Ana to travel by train.
— We want Marta to live near downtown.

Compare the two structures directly

Same actor	Different actor
— I want to leave early.	— I want you to leave early.
— I hope to find work.	— I hope you find work.
— We prefer to eat here.	— We prefer them to eat here.

The subject can be understood without a pronoun

Spanish often omits subject pronouns, so identify the actors from the verb forms and meaning.

— I want you to arrive earlier.

Quiero identifies the speaker as the person who — you as the person who should arrive.

Plural subjects also matter

— We hope you all come tomorrow.

Esperamos belongs to — we. Vengáis belongs to / — you all.

For this lesson, vengáis is a familiar subjunctive form from venir. More stem behavior is developed in the next grammar lesson.

One subject with a negative infinitive

— I prefer not to go out today.
— I hope not to arrive late.

Two subjects with negation in the subordinate clause

— I prefer that you not go out today.
— I hope they do not arrive late.

The negative belongs to the action in the subordinate clause.

Do not create an unnecessary second clause

If the subject is the same, the infinitive is normally simpler in these target wish structures.

Natural target:

— I want to learn more Spanish.

Use que plus a subjunctive when there is a genuinely different actor in the pattern:

— I want my brother to learn more Spanish.

Do not overgeneralize the guideline

The one-subject / two-subject distinction is useful for the wish and preference structures taught here. Spanish has many other subordinate structures where the grammar follows different rules.

Short identification task

Sentence:

— I hope to travel tomorrow.

One actor: the speaker hopes and the speaker travels.

Sentence:

— I hope Carlos travels tomorrow.

Two actors: the speaker hopes; Carlos travels.

A practical choice method

Identify the person who wants, hopes, or prefers.
Identify the person who will perform the desired action.
If they are the same person in these target structures, use the infinitive.
If they are different, use que plus a present subjunctive clause.
Use verb forms and context to identify subjects even when pronouns are omitted.
Keep negation with the action it modifies.
Do not treat the one-subject / two-subject guideline as a universal law for all Spanish subordinate clauses.

From Infinitive or Subjunctive to Understanding Requests and Recommendations

You can now choose between an infinitive and a subordinate subjunctive clause in familiar wish structures. The next lesson trains you to identify who requests, wishes, or recommends an action and who is expected to perform it.