Subordinate clauses with que: resultar que, faltar que, bastar que

Subordinadas con "que": resultar que, faltar que, bastar que

Usamos frases con "que" después de ciertos verbos para explicar hechos, ideas, información, deseos o consecuencias.

(We use phrases with "que" after certain verbs to explain facts, ideas, information, wishes, or consequences.)

Teacher explanation

Head verbs vs. heart verbs: what changes?

In Spanish, the verb in the main clause often decides the mood in the que-clause:

Head verbs = information / perception / conclusions → you present the content as fact or likely fact → Indicative.
Heart verbs = need / recommendation / desire / cause → you present the content as not a fact yet (goal, wish, requirement, effect) → Subjunctive.

Indicative (head)	constar, resultar, quedar, creer, pensar, notar, oír, imaginar
Subjunctive (heart)	faltar, bastar, aconsejar, sugerir, pedir, querer, desear, causar, provocar, determinar
Either mood	decir, preguntar (depends on meaning)

Fast decision: “Am I reporting or influencing?”

Reporting / stating / noticing something → Indicative.
- Resulta evidente que el problema es grave.
- Creemos que la sequía es grave.
- Imagino que ya pasó la tormenta.
Influencing what someone should do / what you want to happen → Subjunctive.
- Falta que actuemos ahora.
- Aconsejaron que redujéramos el consumo.
- Queremos que se proteja la biosfera.
- La sequía provocó que el río se secara.

The most common trap: negation flips “head verbs”

With creer / pensar / imaginar (and similar head verbs):

Affirmative → you treat it as true → Indicative.
Creo que él llega temprano.
Negative → you don’t commit to it → Subjunctive.
No creo que él llegue temprano.

Self-check: if you could translate it as “I don’t think that…”, Spanish usually treats the que-clause as uncertain → subjunctive.

Faltar / bastar: “que + subjunctive” vs. “infinitive”

These two verbs often confuse learners because Spanish offers two clean structures:

1) Action in general (no specific doer)

Infinitive

Basta separar el vidrio y el papel.

Falta actuar ahora.

2) Someone must do it (there is a subject)

que + Subjunctive

Basta con que tú separes el vidrio…

Falta que el proveedor nos envíe el informe.

So you avoid: ~~Basta que separar…~~ (mixed structures).
Practical trick: if you can add someone (yo/tú/él/nosotros) as the doer, you probably need que + subjunctive.

Decir / preguntar: why sometimes indicative, sometimes subjunctive

These verbs don’t automatically mean “head” or “heart”. The key is: Are you reporting information, or transmitting a request/doubt?

Reporting what was said / asked (information) → Indicative.
Dijo que era obligatorio. (He stated it as information.)
Not reporting as fact (often with negation, doubt, or implied uncertainty) → Subjunctive.
No dijo que fuera peligroso. (He didn’t state that it was.)

Self-check: if the speaker is not confirming the content, Spanish often moves to subjunctive.

Mini checklist before you choose a mood

What is the main verb doing? Reporting (head) or influencing (heart)?
Is the main verb negated? Especially with creer/pensar/imaginar → negation usually triggers subjunctive.
With faltar/bastar: do you name a doer?
- No doer → infinitive (Basta separar…)
- Doer present → que + subjunctive (Basta con que separes…)
With decir/preguntar: are you treating it as confirmed information (indicative) or as unconfirmed/non-asserted (subjunctive)?

Indicative ⇒ Head verbs (constar, resultar, quedar, creer, pensar, notar, oír, imaginar)
Subjunctive ⇒ Heart verbs (faltar, bastar, aconsejar, sugerir, pedir, querer, desear, causar, provocar, determinar)
Indicative / Subjunctive ⇒ decir, preguntar

Verbos	Ejemplo
Faltar, Bastar	Falta que actuemos ahora. (We still need to act* now.*)
Resultar, Quedar	Resulta evidente que el problema es grave. (It is obvious that the problem is serious.)
Creer, Pensar	Creemos que la sequía es grave. (We believe that the drought is serious.)
Decir, Preguntar	No dijo que fuera peligroso. (He/She didn’t say it was* dangerous.*)
Notar, Oír, Imaginar	Imagino que ya pasó la tormenta. (I imagine the storm has already passed* .*)
Aconsejar, Sugerir, Pedir	Aconsejaron que redujéramos el consumo. (They advised that we reduce* consumption.*)
Querer, Desear	Queremos que se proteja la biosfera. (We want the biosphere to be protected.)
Causar, Provocar, Determinar	La sequía provocó que el río se secara. (The drought caused the river to dry up.)

Exceptions!

With faltar and bastar, if the action is general and we don’t say who does it, we use the infinitive (⇒ Falta que actuemos ⇒ Falta actuar).
Subject + head verbs = indicative. (e.g. Creo que él llega temprano.)
Subject + no + head verbs = subjunctive. (e.g. No creo que él llegue temprano.)

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

1. Basta con que ______ el vidrio del resto de residuos para cumplir la normativa de reciclaje.

2. Falta que el proveedor nos ______ el informe sobre el impacto medioambiental antes del viernes.

3. Resulta preocupante que la sequía ______ ya tres meses seguidos en esta zona protegida.

4. No creo que ______ buena idea regar el jardín en plena ola de calor, aunque el agua salga barata.

Exercise 2: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Rewrite each sentence by forming a subordinate clause with "que" and choose the correct mood (indicative or subjunctive) according to the main verb. Example: "Creo que él llega temprano" → "No creo que él llegue temprano".

Show/Hide translation Show/Hide hints

Hint Hint (No) Creo que la campaña de reciclaje funciona bien en nuestro barrio.

⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
No creo que la campaña de reciclaje funcione bien en nuestro barrio.
(I don’t think that the recycling campaign works well in our neighborhood.)
Hint Hint (No) Es evidente que el consumo de agua ha bajado este mes.

⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
No es evidente que el consumo de agua haya bajado este mes.
(It is not clear that water consumption has gone down this month.)
Hint Hint (No) Imagino que ya terminaron las obras del carril bici.

⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
No imagino que ya hayan terminado las obras del carril bici.
(I don’t imagine that they have already finished the bike-lane works.)
La concejala sugirió que reducimos el uso de plástico en los eventos públicos.

⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
La concejala sugirió que redujéramos el uso de plástico en los eventos públicos.
(The councilwoman suggested that we reduce the use of plastic at public events.)

Exercise 3: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct sentence in each case.

Subordinate clauses with que: resultar que, faltar que, bastar que

Head verbs vs. heart verbs: what changes?

Fast decision: “Am I reporting or influencing?”

The most common trap: negation flips “head verbs”

Faltar / bastar: “que + subjunctive” vs. “infinitive”

Decir / preguntar: why sometimes indicative, sometimes subjunctive

Mini checklist before you choose a mood

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Exercise 2: Rewrite the phrases

Exercise 3: Multiple Choice

Apply this grammar during real conversations!

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