When should the subjunctive be used after "mientras"?

Question

When should *mientras* or *mientras que* be followed by the subjunctive and when by the indicative? In both cases, how is *mientras* usually translated?

Answer 1

I'll answer the second question first because that's a shorter answer. They both translate to "while." Example: Sara escuchaba mientras yo hablaba. Sara was listening while I was talking.

For the subjunctive vs. indicative, you need to look at the sentence as a whole. There are certain situations that call for subjunctive, regardless of whether the word mientras appears in the sentence. The easiest way to remember these triggers is the acronym U WEIRDO: uncertainty, wishes, emotions, impersonal expressions, doubts/denial, and ojalá,