Similar to the English present subjunctive, the Spanish present subjunctive may be used to refer to the present as well as the future; it expresses wishes, doubts, emotions and feelings, hope, purpose, and the negative belief of a certainty that is expressed using the indicative mood. The subjunctive mood is triggered by inductors, which may be words or punctuation marks, and the Spanish present subjunctive (cante) is induced by relative pronouns, such as que, cuando, quien, and cuanto.

Que viaje la próxima semana depende de si los inversionistas japoneses aprueban el negocio.

Positive present indicative: Ella gana la carrera.

Negative present subjunctive: No creo que ella gane la carrera.