Verbs of Influence: Ordering, Asking, and Suggesting in Spanish
You know the feeling: you want to say “I asked her to come,” “They told us to wait,” or “I suggested that he study more” — and suddenly Spanish turns into a minefield. Do you use the subjunctive? The infinitive? Indicative? If you’ve ever frozen mid-sentence because you weren’t sure whether your verb was “influencing” someone else’s action, you’re in the right place.
Quick answer: verbs of influence usually trigger the subjunctive because you’re not describing reality — you’re trying to shape someone else’s reality. In Spanish, the pattern is often [subject 1] + [influence verb] + que + [subject 2] + [subjunctive]. So you get Te pido que vengas. (I ask you to come.) not Te pido que vienes. The main exception is when both subjects are the same, in which case Spanish often uses the infinitive: Quiero venir. (I want to come.)
If you’re learning this for real conversation, this category matters more than it first seems. These are the verbs you use when you ask a friend to do something, tell a coworker to send an email, recommend a restaurant, or stop someone from leaving. In spoken Spanish, these patterns come up constantly — and they’re exactly the kind of forms we drill in VerbPal with active production, so you can say them under pressure instead of just recognising them on a chart. For a broader overview of mood triggers, see our guide to the WEIRDO Spanish subjunctive and our article on the top 15 verbs that trigger the subjunctive.
What verbs of influence actually do
Verbs of influence are verbs that cause, request, recommend, allow, forbid, or prevent another person from doing something. The key point is that they create a relationship between two subjects:
- Subject 1 = the person influencing
- Subject 2 = the person being influenced
That’s why the structure usually looks like this:
[Subject 1] + [influence verb] + que + [Subject 2] + [subjunctive]
Examples:
- → I ask you to come early.
- → My boss demands that we hand in the report today.
- → I recommend that they try this coffee.
The subjunctive appears because Spanish treats the second action as desired, demanded, suggested, or controlled rather than stated as a fact.
A useful way to think about these verbs: the first person is trying to move the second person’s behaviour. That “push” is exactly why the subjunctive shows up.
If you want a broader map of the subjunctive triggers, this fits neatly into the WEIRDO framework. We’re focusing here on the W and R side: wishes, recommendations, and influence. In VerbPal, this is exactly the kind of pattern we isolate in custom drills: same structure, different verbs, repeated until the mood choice becomes automatic. If you want the bigger picture, see our guide to the WEIRDO Spanish subjunctive and our article on the top 15 verbs that trigger the subjunctive.
Pro Tip: when you see verb + que + new subject, pause and ask: “Am I influencing someone else’s action?” If yes, the subjunctive is usually coming next.
The main groups of verbs of influence
The easiest way to learn these verbs is by grouping them semantically instead of memorising one giant list. In practice, the groups are more memorable than isolated verbs.
1) Direct orders and demands
These are the strongest influence verbs. You’re not hinting — you’re telling someone what to do.
Common verbs:
- mandar que → to order / tell someone to
- ordenar que → to order / command
- exigir que → to demand
Examples:
- → My mother tells me to clean my room.
- → The teacher orders us to open the book.
- → The company demands that everyone arrive on time.
Notice the pattern: after the influence verb, the second verb takes the subjunctive.
- limpie
- abramos
- lleguen
These verbs are common in formal, institutional, or authority-heavy contexts. If you need to sound natural in everyday Spanish, you’ll hear them in workplaces, schools, and official announcements.
2) Soft influence: suggestions and advice
These verbs don’t command; they nudge.
Common verbs:
- sugerir que → to suggest that
- recomendar que → to recommend that
- aconsejar que → to advise that
Examples:
- → I suggest that you study a little more.
- → I recommend that he/she book in advance.
- → They advise us to bring water.
This group often feels easier emotionally, but grammatically it behaves the same way: subjunctive after que.
A useful mindset: if you’re giving someone a path, not a fact, Spanish usually wants the subjunctive.
*Te ordeno que salgas.* (I order you to leave.)
*Te aconsejo que salgas.* (I advise you to leave.)
3) Permission and prohibition
These verbs control whether something is allowed.
Common verbs:
- permitir que → to allow that / permit
- dejar que → to let / allow
- prohibir que → to forbid that
Examples:
- → My boss allows us to work from home.
- → My sister lets me use her car.
- → The museum forbids us to take photos.
Again, the second verb is in the subjunctive because the first subject is controlling the conditions of the second action.
A subtle point: dejar que is very common in spoken Spanish and often feels more natural than a formal “allow” construction. It’s one of those verbs you’ll want to be able to produce quickly, not just recognise. That’s also why we include high-frequency conversational verbs like dejar, pedir, and decir in mixed practice, not just neat textbook lists.
4) Causation: making something happen
These verbs are a little different because they express cause or result rather than direct instruction.
Common verbs:
- hacer que → to make / cause someone to
- conseguir que → to manage to get someone to
- lograr que → to succeed in getting someone to
Examples:
- → The noise makes me unable to sleep.
- → We managed to get them to accept the proposal.
- → She managed to get her brother to help her.
These verbs are powerful because they describe outcome, not just intention. In many cases, the subjunctive shows that the result is not guaranteed — it’s achieved, induced, or caused.
If you want a practical memory hook, think of causation as “I set the conditions, and the other person’s action follows.” That’s classic subjunctive territory.
Action step: sort new verbs into one of these four groups instead of memorising them randomly. Category memory is faster than list memory.
The core pattern: two subjects, one influence
Here’s the structure that unlocks most of these verbs:
[Subject 1] + [influence verb] + que + [Subject 2] + [subjunctive]
Let’s break it down.
- Yo pido que tú vengas. (I ask that you come.)
- Ellos recomiendan que nosotros estudiemos. (They recommend that we study.)
- La profesora prohíbe que los alumnos usen el móvil. (The teacher forbids the students from using the phone.)
- Nosotros conseguimos que ella cambie de opinión. (We managed to get her to change her mind.)
The subject after que matters because it creates a second mental space. You’re no longer talking about your own action alone — you’re talking about another person’s action, and Spanish marks that uncertainty, influence, or non-fact with the subjunctive.
What the subjunctive looks like here
These verbs can trigger a range of subjunctive forms depending on the tense you need:
- Present subjunctive: vengas, estudie, salgan
- Imperfect subjunctive: viniera, estudiara, salieran
- Perfect subjunctive: haya venido, haya estudiado
Examples:
- → I ask you to come now.
- Te pedí que vinieras ayer. (I asked you to come yesterday.)
- Te pediré que hayas terminado para mañana. (I will ask you to have finished by tomorrow.)
For most learners, the present subjunctive is the first form to master here, but the same influence logic works across tenses. In VerbPal, we don’t stop at one tense either: our system covers all conjugations, including irregulars, reflexives, compound forms, and the subjunctive, so you can practise the same trigger across the full verb system instead of in isolation.
Pro Tip: learn the trigger and the tense together. Don’t just memorise pedir que — practise pido que vengas, pedí que vinieras, and pediré que hayas terminado.
The infinitive shortcut: when the subject stays the same
This is where many learners overuse the subjunctive.
If Subject 1 and Subject 2 are the same person, Spanish often uses the infinitive instead of que + subjunctive.
Compare:
- Quiero venir. (I want to come.)
- Quiero que vengas. (I want you to come.)
The difference is the subject:
- In Quiero venir, I am the one coming.
- In Quiero que vengas, you are the one coming.
Another pair:
- Pido salir temprano. (I ask to leave early.)
- Te pido que salgas temprano. (I ask you to leave early.)
And another:
- Necesito estudiar más. (I need to study more.)
- Necesito que estudies más. (I need you to study more.)
That infinitive shortcut is one of the fastest ways to sound more natural. If the subject doesn’t change, don’t automatically reach for the subjunctive.
A simple test
Ask yourself:
“Am I talking about my own action, or am I influencing someone else’s?”
- Same subject → usually infinitive
- Different subject → usually que + subjunctive
This distinction is one of the most useful habits you can build in Spanish. Our drills are built around exactly this kind of active decision-making, because knowing the rule is not the same as choosing the right form in real time.
Action step: make yourself a two-column list today: “same subject = infinitive” and “different subject = que + subjunctive.” Then write three examples in each column.
Saying, telling, and reporting: the tricky case of decir
Decir can mean either to say or to tell, and that makes it a classic trap.
Compare these two:
- Digo que viene. (I say that he’s coming.)
- Le digo que venga. (I tell him to come.)
Why the difference?
1) Reporting information: indicative
When you are simply reporting what someone says, you usually use indicative.
- Dice que está cansado. (He says that he is tired.)
- Dijeron que llegaban tarde. (They said that they were arriving late.)
Here, you’re stating a reported fact or claim.
2) Giving an instruction: subjunctive
When decir functions like an order or instruction, it behaves like an influence verb.
- Le digo que venga. (I tell him to come.)
- Nos dijeron que esperáramos. (They told us to wait.)
This is why decir is so important in the influence category: the verb itself doesn’t guarantee the mood. The meaning does.
A practical distinction
- decir que + indicative = say that / report that
- decirle que + subjunctive = tell someone to / instruct someone to
Examples:
- María dice que trabaja los sábados. (María says that she works on Saturdays.)
- María le dice a Juan que trabaje los sábados. (María tells Juan to work on Saturdays.)
If you want to dig deeper into the broader subjunctive trigger system, our WEIRDO Spanish subjunctive guide is a good companion read.
Pro Tip: when decir means “report,” think indicative. When it means “direct someone,” think subjunctive.
How these verbs change meaning in real life
The same verb can feel very different depending on context. That’s why memorising a list is not enough — you need to hear and produce the patterns.
pedir que vs preguntar
A common confusion is between pedir and preguntar.
- Pido que me ayudes. (I ask that you help me.)
- Pregunto si me puedes ayudar. (I ask whether you can help me.)
If you want a fuller breakdown, see our post on pedir vs preguntar.
The key difference is:
- pedir = request something
- preguntar = ask a question
querer que vs querer + infinitive
- Quiero que vengas. (I want you to come.)
- Quiero venir. (I want to come.)
This is one of the cleanest examples of the same-subject shortcut.
prohibir que vs no dejar que
Both can express restriction:
- Prohíben que entremos. (They forbid us to enter.)
- No nos dejan que entremos. (They don’t let us enter.)
The first sounds more formal and absolute; the second often sounds more conversational.
hacer que vs conseguir que
These two are close, but not identical.
- Hice que se rieran. (I made them laugh / I caused them to laugh.)
- Conseguí que se rieran. (I managed to get them to laugh.)
hacer que focuses on causing the result.
conseguir que focuses on succeeding in getting the result.
That difference matters when you want to sound precise.
Corpus note: in real Spanish, these influence patterns are extremely common in conversation, instructions, workplace talk, and advice. The Real Academia Española’s CREA corpus shows that high-frequency verbs like decir, pedir, querer, and poder dominate everyday usage, which is why mastering their mood patterns pays off so quickly.
Knowing the rule is one thing — producing it under pressure is another. That’s the gap our drills are built to close. A useful routine is to mix three prompt types: one same-subject infinitive, one que + subjunctive, and one reporting sentence with decir. In VerbPal, that kind of contrast practice is built into structured review, so you train the decision, not just the definition.
Action step: pick one pair from this section — for example pedir vs preguntar — and write two contrast sentences of your own.
Present tense conjugation patterns you’ll use most
The verbs of influence themselves may be irregular, but the real challenge is the subjunctive form that follows them. Here are a few examples in the present tense so you can see the pattern in action.
Pedir que + present subjunctive
Pedir is one of the most useful influence verbs because it appears constantly in polite requests.
- → I ask that you come.
- → You ask that I help you.
- Ella pide que lo hagamos. (She asks that we do it.)
- Nosotros pedimos que esperen. (We ask that they wait.)
Recomendar que + present subjunctive
- Te recomiendo que leas este libro. (I recommend that you read this book.)
- Recomendamos que no conduzcas de noche. (We recommend that you not drive at night.)
Permitir que + present subjunctive
- Mi padre permite que salga tarde. (My father allows me to go out late.)
- La app permite que guardes tus progresos. (The app allows you to save your progress.)
Prohibir que + present subjunctive
- Prohíben que entres sin cita. (They forbid you to enter without an appointment.)
- El cartel prohíbe que toquemos la obra. (The sign forbids us to touch the artwork.)
Hacer que + present subjunctive
- El café me hace que me despierte. (Coffee makes me wake up.)
- La noticia hizo que cambiaran de opinión. (The news made them change their opinion.)
If you’re still shaky on the present subjunctive endings, reviewing the top 15 verbs that trigger the subjunctive will help you see the forms in context. And if you want repetition without mindless clicking, VerbPal combines interactive games, typed answers, and varied drill formats so these forms stay active instead of turning into passive recognition.
The influence verb comes first; the influenced action comes after que.
If the subject changes, don’t switch to an infinitive by habit.
Pro Tip: practise these as chunks, not isolated verbs: pido que vengas, recomiendo que leas, prohíben que entres.
Lexi’s Tip: a dog-sized cheat code for influence verbs
Influence verbs = you’re pushing someone else’s reality. That’s subjunctive territory. If you can hear the “push” — order, advice, permission, prevention, or making something happen — your brain should bark “subjunctive!” before you even finish the sentence. And if the subject is the same, Lexi says: drop the leash and use the infinitive instead.
Practice set: choose the right mood
Try these before you look at the answers.
Choose the correct form: ¿quieres que yo ___ (venir) ahora?
Choose the correct form: Yo quiero ___ (venir) ahora.
Choose the correct form: El profesor exige que nosotros ___ (hacer) la tarea.
If you want to go beyond a quick self-check, this is where structured repetition matters. Our Journey module takes patterns like these and places them in a real progression from beginner through advanced work, so you’re not just collecting isolated rules. You process the full pathway of verb forms step by step, and nothing important gets skipped.
Action step: answer these aloud before revealing anything. Production first, confirmation second.
Common mistakes with verbs of influence
1) Using the indicative after influence verbs
Wrong:
- Te pido que vienes.
Right:
- Te pido que vengas. (I ask you to come.)
The subjunctive is required because the second action is requested, not stated as fact.
2) Forgetting the subject change
Wrong:
- Quiero que venir.
Right:
- Quiero venir. (I want to come.)
If it’s the same subject, use the infinitive.
3) Translating English too literally
English often uses “to” where Spanish uses que + subjunctive.
- English: I want you to come
- Spanish: Quiero que vengas. (I want you to come.)
Don’t force Spanish to mirror English syntax.
4) Confusing saying with telling
- Dice que viene. (He says he’s coming.)
- Le dice que venga. (He tells him to come.)
That difference is small in English but huge in Spanish mood choice.
5) Overusing formal verbs when a simpler one works
You don’t always need ordenar or exigir.
Often, native speakers prefer:
- pedir que
- decirle que
- dejar que
- recomendar que
Choose the verb that matches the social tone, not just the dictionary meaning.
This is also where active correction helps more than passive rereading. In VerbPal, typed production makes you commit to a form, which is exactly what exposes mistakes like que vienes after te pido or que venir after quiero.
Pro Tip: keep a personal “error list” of your three most common influence-verb mistakes and review those first.
A quick summary you can reuse
Here’s the shortcut version:
- Direct orders: mandar que, ordenar que, exigir que
- Soft influence: sugerir que, recomendar que, aconsejar que
- Permission/prohibition: permitir que, dejar que, prohibir que
- Causation: hacer que, conseguir que, lograr que
- Same subject: use the infinitive
- Different subject: use que + subjunctive
Examples:
- → I ask you to come.
- → I want to come.
- → I tell him to come.
- Digo que viene. (I say that he’s coming.)
If you want to keep building your subjunctive instincts, pair this with the WEIRDO Spanish subjunctive guide and our article on why you freeze speaking Spanish. The more you practise producing these patterns out loud, the faster they stop feeling like grammar and start feeling like language.
Action step: save this summary and turn each bullet into one sentence of your own today.
FAQ
Why do verbs of influence trigger the subjunctive?
Because they express a non-factual, desired, controlled, or influenced action. You’re not describing reality; you’re trying to change it.
Do all verbs with que take the subjunctive?
No. Que is just the connector. Some verbs with que take indicative, especially when they report facts or statements. For example: Dice que viene. (He says he’s coming.)
Is querer always followed by the subjunctive?
No. It depends on the subject.
- Quiero venir. (I want to come.)
- Quiero que vengas. (I want you to come.)
What’s the difference between pedir and preguntar?
Pedir means to request something. Preguntar means to ask a question. See our guide to pedir vs preguntar for more examples.
How can I practise these patterns faster?
Use short, repeated production drills instead of passive review. That’s the principle behind VerbPal: spaced repetition with the SM-2 algorithm, active recall, interactive games, and full conjugation coverage so you can produce the right form under pressure.