I have to admit I was puzzled by this:
Quote:
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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.
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Basically I'd have to disagree, though I would be careful in the choice of words in my disagreement. Probably the most effective test is to ask: "Is the clause in question considered an actual fact by the person reporting the clause? If so, use the indicative. Otherwise (grammar permitting) use the subjunctive"
So: "Creo que el cielo
es rojo" Why? Because the person reporting the clause (me) believes it to be true. Now external observers (such as yourself) may disagree and doubt the veracity. But I'm the one reporting it and
to me it's a fact.
Ergo use indicative.
"Por atrevidos que
sean, no van a ganar" Here we use the subjunctive because the narrator (implicit person reporting clause) is
not saying that "they" are
in fact daring. Maybe none of them are daring. Or maybe all of them are daring. The narrator is not claiming to know. He is simply saying no matter how daring they
may be they are not going to win.
Now of course there is more to it than this, especially in identifying where the subjunctive
may occur. But I find this test to be effective once you are asking yourself the question of which to use.