[JSK]

Originally Posted by Perikles

Ah, but grammatically, pensar does not express uncertainty, even if logically it does. That is because that which you think is a specific idea, even if the idea expresses uncertainty.

Okay, first of all: oh, I seeeeee Well, that changes A LOT. And it explains a lot. My teachers somehow haven't EVER considered this to be an important fact.... Thank you once again, I'm actually feeling really enlightened right now. Wow.

Originally Posted by Perikles

I'm not sure that your approach here is going to be helpful. You need to list all the situations where the subjunctive is required (e.g. in certain constructions), then those where it is optional.

Yeah well, but the problem is, that nobody admits that there are cases in which a subjunctive is optional, so I've never learned that, so I simply don't know where it is optional.
The first thing I was taught at the University was that I must forget everything about the subjunctive having something to do with uncertainty, mood, feeling, opinion, etc. and the books we are working with (its a series by the same author) support this announcement. They are made very strictly and rigidly so it appears to you that a subjunctive is at all only named when it is required, obligatory (that explains why I detected the rules to be contradictory... they are not, because they are not built upon each other, although the book suggests this). Literally, the word "opcional" never occurs when I think about it now...
No offense but this forum in fact was my last attempt to get to know rules. I showed the book and the exercises it contains to a lot of Spanish teachers I know personally and they gave it a look and said that, at a certain point, it is not about rules and grammar anymore but about style and interpretation. What you and Angelica told me so far only supports their opinion. But, for obvious reasons, the book and my profs at the University would never say such. A different story.

Thank you anyways also @ AngelicaDeAlquezar. But I have one last question: how would you say the following loaded question in Spanish:
A: Do you remember the exam yesterday?
B: (makes a sceptical face) Yeah, I know.....
A: What's up?? Don't you think it was easy?

I would translate it with ¿Pero qué pasa? No pienses que fuera fácil?
because this would be according to what alecCowan said

Originally Posted by aleCcowaN

---> It is easy, but you wouldn't say (the action is not happening)