Spanish Language Blog

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.

¡Hola a todos!

Today we are going to see a new Spanish verb tense:“El Pretérito Imperfecto de Subjuntivo”. We will start by analysing its form and then afterwards we will see in which situations the “Pretérito Imperfecto de Subjuntivo” is used.

-AR verbs:

• (Yo) hablara/hablase: I spoke
• (Tú) hablaras/hablases: You spoke (friendly)
• (Usted) hablara/hablase: You spoke (formal)
• (Él/ella) hablara/hablase: He/She spoke
• (Nosotros/as) habláramos/hablásemos: We spoke
• (Vosotros/as) hablarais/hablaseis: You spoke (group/friendly)
• (Ustedes) hablaran/hablasen: You spoke (group/formal)
• (Ellos/as) hablaran/hablasen: They spoke

-ER/-IR verbs:

• (Yo) comiera/comiese: I ate
• (Tú) comieras/comieses: You ate (friendly)
• (Usted) comiera/comiese: You ate (formal)
• (Él/ella) comiera/comiese: He/She ate
• (Nosotros/as) comiéramos/comiésemos: We ate
• (Vosotros/as) comierais/comieseis: You ate (group/friendly)
• (Ustedes) comieran/comiesen: You ate (group/formal)
• (Ellos/as) comieran/comiesen: They ate

Now, let´s see the irregular Spanish verbs. I will tell you the first person of each verb and this will show you the verb’s irregular form. To make the verb endings for the other persons you just have to follow the endings of the regular verbs.

Irregular Verbs (1st person):

• Poner (to put): pusiera/pusiese
• Dormir (to sleep): durmiera/durmiese
• Conducir (to drive): condujera/condujese
• Preferir (to prefer): prefiriera/prefiriese
• Pedir (to ask for): pidiera/pidiese
• Morir (to die): muriera/muriese
• Querer (to want): quisiera/quisiese
• Hacer (to do): hiciera/hiciese
• Saber (to know): supiera/supiese
• Tener (to have): tuviera/tuviese
• Oir (to hear): oyera/oyese
• Huir (to escape): escapara/escapase
• Construir (to build): construyera/construyese
• Caber (to fit): cupiera/cupiese
• Ser/Ir (to be/to go): fuera/fuese
• Estar (to be): estuviera/estuviese

Let´s see now the different uses of the Spanish “Pretérito Imperfecto de Subjuntivo”. You use the “Pretérito Imperfecto de Subjuntivo” in the same way as the “Presente de subjuntivo” except that you use the “Pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo” when the action is in the past rather than in the present.

Let´s see some examples comparing the two tenses:

Probability:

• Quizás venga mañana: Maybe he will come tomorrow
• Quizás viniera/viniese ayer: Maybe he came yesterday

Opinion:

• No pienso que Antonio sea tan alto: I don´t think that Antonio is so tall
• No pensaba que Antonio fuera/fuese tan alto: I didn´t think that Antonio was so tall

Relative clauses:

• Quiero comprar una casa que tenga una piscina: I want to buy a house that has a swimming pool
• Quería comprar una casa que tuviera/tuviese una piscina: I wanted to buy a house that had a swimming pool

Temporary sentences:

• Me ha dicho que me llamará cuando llegue a Roma: He has told me that he will call me when he arrives in Rome
• Me dijo que me llamaría cuando llegara/llegase a Roma: He told me that he would call me when he arrived in Rome

Bueno, pues esto es todo por hoy. This is a very important lesson to try to digest as it highlights two key Spanish grammar tenses and as ever I suggest that you get practicing everything we have learned as soon as possible and as often as possible. Try making some sentences using both “Presente de Subjuntivo” and “Pretérito Imperfecto de Subjuntivo” so that you can compare the two. As you write more and more sentences you will start to get a better feel for how and when to use the two tenses.

¡Que paséis una buena semana y hasta pronto!

¡Hola a todos!

Hoy vamos a practicar un subjuntivo nuevo: El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo. First we will see how to construct this grammar tense and later how to use it.

This tense has two parts: Presente de subjuntivo de “haber” + Participio pasado

Let´s see first the Presente de subjuntivo of the verb “Haber”:

• (yo) Haya: I have
• (tú) Hayas: You have (friendly)
• (usted/él/ella) Haya: You have (formal) / He/She has
• (nosotros/as) Hayamos: We have
• (vosotros/as) Hayáis: You have (group/friendly))
• (ustedes/ellos/ellas) Hayan: You have (group/formal) / They have

The Participio pasado is the same as in the ordinary Pretérito Perfecto that you already know:

• Verb-AR: -ADO
• Verb-ER: -IDO
• Verb-IR: -IDO

The irregular verbs are also the same: hacer: hecho, ver: visto, escribir: escrito, etc…

We use this tense in the same type of sentences as the Presente de Subjuntivo (to express wishes, probability, opinion,..). The difference is that you use the Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo when the action in Subjuntive occurred before the time when the person is expressing that wish, probability, opinion, etc.
Let´s see some examples to illustrate this:

Wishes:

Ojalá apruebes el examen: I hope you pass the exam
Ojalá hayas aprobado el examen: I hope you have passed the exam

Espero que llegue pronto: I hope he arrives soon
Espero que haya llegado ya: I hope he has already arrived

Probability:

Quizás estudie mucho antes del examen: Maybe he will study a lot before the exam
Quizás haya estudiado mucho antes del examen: Maybe he has studied a lot before the exam

Posiblemente viva muchos años en España: Possibly he will live many years in Spain
Posiblemente haya vivido muchos años en España: Possibly he has lived many years in Spain

Opinion:

No creo que vayan a la playa: I don´t think they will go to the beach
No creo que hayan ido a la playa: I don´t think they have gone to the beach

No me parece que trabajen mucho: I don´t think they work a lot
No me parece que hayan trabajado mucho: I don´t think they have worked a lot

Relative clauses:

Buscamos futures ingenieros que estudien en Oxford: We are looking for future engineers who study in Oxford
Buscamos un ingeniero que haya estudiado en Oxford: We are looking for an engineer who has studied in Oxford

Buscan profesores de español que vivan en Madrid: They are looking for Spanish teachers who live in Madrid
Buscan profesores de español que hayan vivido en Madrid: They are looking for Spanish teachers who have lived in Madrid

Temporary sentences:

Cuando estudiemos necesitaremos silencio: When we study, we will need silence
Cuando hayamos estudiado, estaremos tranquilos: When we have studied, we will be relaxed

Cuando friegues los platos, ponte guantes: When you wash the dishes put some gloves on
Cuando hayas fregado los platos, limpia la cocina: When you have washed the dishes, clean the kitchen

Esto es todo sobre el Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo. As you see, it is not particularly difficult. Sometimes things sound more complicated in theory, but I think when you see the comparison example sentences I have given you can see quite clearly how it works. The best way to remember it is to practice it by imagining situations when you would use it. Try to make up a few examples of wishes, probability¡ty, opinion, etc… with Presente sentences and Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo sentences as we have just seen.
Que tengáis una fantástica semana y nos vemos pronto.

¡Hasta luego!