No dudo que tiene razón, pero no creo que tenga toda la razón.I don't doubt that he's right, but I don't think he's entirely right.

The basic rule is that doubt and denial take the subjunctive, belief takes the indicative, and negating a belief flips the mood. At B2 the interesting cases are the ones where a negation does not flip things as expected, or where both moods are possible and the choice says something about what the speaker thinks.

Quick shortcut: the mood follows whether the speaker presents the que-clause as true (indicative) or as doubtful, denied or merely possible (subjunctive). A negation changes that only when it changes how the speaker presents the clause.

Negating doubt: no dudo que, no niego que

When you negate a doubt or denial verb, you are saying you accept the idea, and the indicative follows naturally:

  • No dudo que tiene razón. (I don't doubt that he's right.)
  • No niego que fue un error. (I don't deny that it was a mistake.)

The subjunctive is also standard here, and it adds a shade: the speaker grants the point while keeping some distance from it, which often sets up a pero:

  • No dudo que tenga razón, pero conviene comprobarlo. (I don't doubt that he's right, but it's worth checking.)
  • No niego que sea difícil, pero se puede hacer. (I don't deny that it's difficult, but it can be done.)

Fixed expressions that state that something is certain take the indicative: no hay duda de que, no cabe duda de que, no cabe la menor duda de que (No cabe duda de que es ella).

Negating belief: usually the subjunctive, but not in every question

A negated belief verb normally flips to the subjunctive (No creo que tenga razón). In questions, the mood depends on what the speaker expects:

  • ¿Crees que tiene razón? (Do you think he's right?) A plain question usually takes the indicative.
  • ¿Crees que tenga razón? The subjunctive makes the speaker's own doubt more apparent.
  • ¿No crees que tiene razón? (Don't you think he's right?) A negative question that invites agreement keeps the indicative, because the speaker believes the clause.
  • No creas que es fácil. (Don't think it's easy.) Here the speaker is warning the listener about something that is true, so the indicative is common, while No creas que sea fácil treats the idea as only possible.

So negating creer does not flip the mood in every sentence. What matters is whether the speaker presents the que-clause as true.

Other expressions that flip with a negation

A group of expressions that assert something take the indicative when affirmative and usually the subjunctive when negated, just like creer. The subjunctive is the standard choice because the speaker withholds support from the clause:

Affirmative (indicative) Negated (usual choice: subjunctive)
Es cierto que viene. No es cierto que venga.
Es evidente que tiene razón. No es evidente que tenga razón.
Es verdad que lo sabe. No es verdad que lo sepa.
Parece que está enfermo. No parece que esté enfermo.

When a speaker flatly corrects something that was presented as fact, the indicative can also be heard (No es verdad que lo sabe), but the subjunctive is the standard choice.

A related pattern is no es que + subjunctive, used to reject an explanation before giving the real one: No es que no quiera ir, es que no puedo. (It's not that I don't want to go, it's that I can't.)

Possibility words: quizás, tal vez

Quizás and tal vez work differently. They are not triggered by a verb, and both moods are standard:

  • Quizás viene mañana. (Maybe he's coming tomorrow.) The indicative suggests the speaker finds it fairly likely.
  • Quizás venga mañana. The subjunctive suggests more doubt, or a more tentative guess.

A lo mejor is different: it takes the indicative (A lo mejor viene mañana).

Common mistakes

  • ❌ Es evidente que sea mentira. → ✅ Es evidente que es mentira. (an affirmative es evidente que presents the clause as true, so it takes the indicative.)
  • ❌ No es que no puedo ir. → ✅ No es que no pueda ir. (no es que takes the subjunctive.)
  • ❌ A lo mejor venga mañana. → ✅ A lo mejor viene mañana. (a lo mejor takes the indicative, unlike quizás.)

Quick check

  1. Complete with the indicative or subjunctive of tener: No cabe duda de que ella ___ razón.
  2. Complete: No es cierto que ellos ___ (saber) la verdad.
  3. Which mood is more natural after the negative question ¿No crees que ___ (ser) mejor esperar?
  4. What is the difference between Quizás viene and Quizás venga?
  5. Fix the sentence: No es que quiero irme, es que estoy cansado.
Show answers
  1. tiene: no cabe duda de que states that something is certain, so it takes the indicative.
  2. sepan: a negated es cierto que usually takes the subjunctive, since the speaker does not endorse the clause.
  3. The indicative: ¿No crees que es mejor esperar? A negative question that invites agreement keeps the indicative.
  4. Both are standard. The indicative suggests the speaker finds it fairly likely, and the subjunctive suggests more doubt.
  5. No es que quiera irme, es que estoy cansado.

Key takeaways

  • The mood depends on whether the speaker presents the que-clause as true (indicative) or as doubtful, denied or merely possible (subjunctive).
  • No dudo que and no niego que usually take the indicative, and the subjunctive is also standard with a shade of distance or concession.
  • No hay duda de que and no cabe duda de que state certainty and take the indicative.
  • A negated belief verb normally takes the subjunctive, but a negative question that invites agreement (¿No crees que tiene razón?) keeps the indicative.
  • Es cierto que / es evidente que / es verdad que / parece que take the indicative, and their negations usually take the subjunctive, because the speaker withholds support from the clause.
  • No es que takes the subjunctive, quizás and tal vez allow either mood, and a lo mejor takes the indicative.