In this Spanish video lesson we are going to look at the correlation between the Spanish Indicativo and the Spanish Subjuntivo to be able to know when you need to use the “Presente de subjuntivo” and when to use the “Pretérito Imperfecto de subjuntivo”. It all depends on which verb tense you are using in the first part of the sentence.

Let´s see first when you use the “Presente de subjuntivo”:

With presente de indicativo:

• Su profesor le aconseja que estudie más: His teacher advises him to study more

With pretérito perfecto de indicativo:

• Su profesor le ha aconsejado que estudie más: His teacher has advised him to study more

With futuro simple de indicativo:

• Su profesor le aconsejará que estudie más: His teacher will advise him to study more

With imperativo:

• Aconséjale que estudie más: Advise him to study more

Next, let’s look at the gramar tense: “El pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo”:

With pretérito imperfecto de indicativo:

• Su profesor le aconsejaba que estudiara/estudiase más: His teacher used to advise him to study more

With pretérito indefinido de indicativo:

• Su profesor le aconsejó que estudiara/estudiase más: His teacher advised him to study more

With condicional simple:

• Su profesor le aconsejaría que estudiara/estudiase más: His teacher would advise him to study more

At this level it is vital to be clear on how to use of the indicative and subjunctive in Spanish. Unfortunately this is a challenge that often scares students. Try not to get bogged down with complicated terminology and concentrate on the main points. I always aim to explain my lessons as simply and concisely as I can and I really hope that I have explained this lesson clearly to you today. Mastering the Spanish Subjuntivo is not something that can be done over night. It takes work and patience, but it is absolutely necessary to speak Spanish at a high level.

Sometimes students skirt around the issue of tackling the Subjuntivo and put it off until the latest possible time. I recommend getting stuck in today and practicing everything you have learned with lots of practice written sentences of your own and conversation with Spanish speakers if you are lucky enough to have them nearby.

As ever, study little and often and try to always enjoy your Spanish studies.