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Speaker 1: I suggest you listen carefully to this podcast. And if

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you're with a friend right now, I suggest he listened

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carefully or she listened carefully as well. I mean, if

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I were you, I definitely stick around for this one.

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Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from

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New York City. And here's your English teacher, Michael.

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Speaker 1: All right, thank you, Jan, and thanks everyone. It's Michael

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here from Happy English and I help people speak English better.

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And this is Happy English Podcast, Episode nine to eleven,

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Understanding and using the subjective mood in English. Thanks for

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tuning in and welcome back. So let me ask you something.

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Have you ever heard some one say if I were

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you and thought, hmmm, shouldn't it be if I was you?

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Or maybe you've seen a sentence like it's important that

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he be here on time and wondered, wait, shouldn't it

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be is he is? He'd be? Well? Today, we're diving

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into a part of English grammar that doesn't follow the

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usual rules, but native speakers use it all the time

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without thinking twice, especially in American English. It's called the

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subjunctive mood. Hmm sounds scary, And while that may sound

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technical or tricky, it's actually pretty simple once you know

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how it works. So today I'll walk you through four

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common ways we use the subjunctive, all with real life,

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everyday examples. Let's jump in. First of all, we use

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the subjective mood for unreal or hypothetical situations. Have you

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ever said or heard something like if I were rich,

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or if he were taller. That's the subjunctive in action. Now,

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normally we say things like I was tired, she was happy.

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That's the regular past tense, no problem, right, But when

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we talk about something that's imaginary or hypothetical, we use

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war instead of was, no matter what the subject is,

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like if I were you, I'd take a day off,

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or if he were taller he could join the basketball team,

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or if she were here right now, she'd be laughing

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if I were, if if he were, if she were.

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And again, it's not the past tense, it's imaginary or hypothetical.

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It's just English being well English. But the good news

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is this pattern is super common and it sounds natural

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once you get used to it. Now, here's another place

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we use the subjunctive when we talk about wishes. You

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know that feeling when you want something to be different,

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But it's not like I wish I had a dog,

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or I wish it weren't raining today. Yeah, we use

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the subjunctive in these situations too, like I wish I

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were taller. Yeah you heard that, right, I wish I were,

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or she wishes she were better at public speaking, or

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like what your coworker says on Wednesday is don't you

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wish it were Friday? Already you'll notice again war not was.

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Even if the subject is I, we say I wish

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I were. This is one of those small things that

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makes your English sound just a little more polished. All right,

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fasten your seatbelts because the next one may surprise or

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even shock you. We use the subjunctive mood after verbs

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like suggest, recommend, demand, and insist, and after phrases like

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it's important that This happens a lot in business, formal

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emails and even news reports, like I told my boss

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that Jack has a fever, and the boss said, I

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suggest he take the day off. Yeah you heard that, right,

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I suggest he take not he takes I suggest he

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take a day off. Here's another example. Notice the verb

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the manager insisted that she be on time? She be, yeah,

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Or it's important that everyone be prepared for the exam

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on Friday. And again, notice I didn't say he takes

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or she is. We drop the s and just use

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the base verb. I suggest he take the day off.

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The manager insisted that she be on time. Yeah, we

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also do this with the base verb, like it's essential

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that she be informed, or they demanded he be removed

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from the group chat. My doctor recommended that I rest now,

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I'll be honest with you in casual conversation. Some people

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don't always follow this rule. You might hear it's important

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that he is here, and that's totally fine and spoken English,

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but knowing how the subjunctive works will help you understand

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and sound more natural, especially when things get a little formal. Okay, Finally,

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there are a few fixed phrases that use the subjunctive,

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and they're kind of fun. Be that as it may,

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which we use to acknowledge something while suggesting it doesn't

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change your opinion, like yeah, I know we're busy, but

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be that as it may. We still have to finish

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the project or if need be, which means if it's

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necessary and is very common in formal or polite speech,

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like we can stay late to finish if need be.

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Heaven help us. This is a dramatic way to say

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we're in trouble, or to express worry, like if we

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lose power again during the storm, Heaven help us. Truth

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be told. This is a fancy way to say to

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be honest, like truth be told. I wasn't really ready

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for the exam. I should have studied more and then.

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Probably the most well known subjunctive phrase thanks to the Beatles,

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is let it be, which is a way of saying,

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don't change it or accept it the way it is now.

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Some of these sound old school or poetic, but they're

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still used in English, especially in formal speech, music, or

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dramatic moments. So what did we learn today? The subjunctive

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mood shows up when we're talking about imaginary or real situations.

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If I were you, I'd study for that test. Wishes

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about the present, I wish it were some aer already.

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That's just an example. Suggestions, demands and formal advice. It's

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important that she be on time, she be and fixed

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expressions like Heaven forbid or so be it. It's a

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cool little part of English grammar that adds and confidence

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to your speech. And now you know how to use it.

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So here's your challenge, make three sentences this week using

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this subjunctive mood and use it in conversation. Maybe say

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something like if I were a cat, I'd sleep all day,

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or it's essential that I'd be on time for work,

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or I wish I were a better cook. And if

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you want to practice using grammar like this naturally, come

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join the podcast Learner's study Group. We meet once a

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week and go over these podcast lessons together. It's a

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great way to build confidence and improve your speaking. Just

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check the link where you're listening right now, or visit

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Myhappy English dot com and choose podcast episode nine to

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eleven for more info. Thanks for listening, and remember, learning

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another language is not easy, but it's not impossible, and

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I'm here to help you on your journey.

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Speaker 2: This podcast is brought to you by Happy English. Please

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visit Myhappy English dot com show your support for Happy

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English by leading us a review. Get English, Get Happy,

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