The subjunctive mood isn't difficult for ELLs. It's way more difficult for native English speakers who are learning Spanish. Still, if you have no formal grammar training in Spanish, learning the subjunctive as a concept—and how it's said in English—can be difficult.
The subjunctive mood is used when talking about situations that aren't reality. Most English speakers just use the indicative instead, but if you ever find yourself wanting to use a special verb to express the subjunctive like you do in Spanish, here's a breakdown:
Constructions with "if"
Constructions that begin with "If I were..." or "If I were to..." are subjunctive. Here are some examples:
If I were a betting man, I'd put my money on number four. (contrary to fact)
Nice car. It would be a shame if something were to...happen to it. (hypothetical)
Note: using "were" in these sentences is considered correct and your English teachers will probably mark it incorrect if you use "was." Still, no one will correct you if you use "was" in a non-academic setting. (Well, maybe.) You can find more examples like this in our non-ELL Subjunctive Mood section.
Also, it's easy to get this type of subjunctive mood mixed up with the conditional mood in English. We wouldn't worry about it, though; the average English speaker doesn't know much about the conditional mood anyway. It's not even in this learning guide.
It's way too complicated.
Wishes
Any time you say "I wish I were," you're using the subjunctive. In Spanish, you usually use "desear + que" and "ojalá" constructions, which also use the subjunctive. Both of the following sentences are considered "natural" sentences of English:
I wish I were done with the subjunctive.
*I wish I was done with the subjunctive.
...but only the first one is considered "correct." We don't know why. It just is. Keep in mind that you always use "were" in the subjunctive, regardless of whether the subject is singular or plural. For other verbs, it's a lot easier, since there's only one past tense form:
I wish I had a manual.
I wish my iPod still worked.
Pretty simple, right? Just use the past tense, and make sure it's "were" and not "was." Boom.
Commands, demands, suggestions
Oh, wait...maybe it's not that simple.
For this type of subjunctive, you don't inflect the verb. Instead, you use the base form of the verb—which makes sense, since that's the form you use in the imperative mood. Examples:
I insist that you spend the night.
We recommend that you make flashcards.
I demand that you be on time.
You'll probably learn this by listening or you'll find other ways to say it.