¡Más Subjuntivo!
El Imperfecto del Subjuntivo The Imperfect subjunctive
-ra form -se -ramos -semos -ras -rais -ses -seis -ran -sen All imperfect subjunctive verbs are formed by dropping the –ron ending of the third person plural of the preterit and adding the following endings: -ra form -se -ramos -semos -ras -rais -ses -seis -ran -sen
Examples of regular and irregular verbs infinitive 3rd person plural preterit 1st person singular past Subjunctive tomar tomaron tomara/tomase beber bebieron bebiera/bebiese escribir escribieron escribiera/escribiese caer cayeron cayera/cayese decir dijeron dijera/dijese ir/ser fueron fuera/fuese
Juan esperaba que hubiera/hubiese bastante comida para la fiesta. The preterit of Hay is hubo; the imperfect subjunctive is hubiera/hubiese. Juan esperaba que hubiera/hubiese bastante comida para la fiesta. Juan hoped that there was enough food for the party.
The first person plural requires a written accent The first person plural requires a written accent. (that’s the nosotros form!) cayéramos / cayésemos tomáramos / tomásemos
Juan duda que el pavo esté cocinado. Past subjunctive is required under the same conditions as the present subjunctive, but the point of reference is in the past. Juan duda que el pavo esté cocinado. Johns doubts that the turkey is cooked. Juana dudaba que el pavo estuviera cocinado. John doubted that the turkey was cooked.
Quisiera probar las albóndigas. ¿Pudieras pasarme las empanadas? A common use of the imperfect subjunctive is to make polite requests or statements with the verbs querer, poder, and deber. Quisiera probar las albóndigas. I would like to taste the meatballs. ¿Pudieras pasarme las empanadas? Could you please pass me the turnovers? Deberian seguir la receta. You should follow the recipe.
Si quieres, comemos fresas de postre. A si clause states a condition that must be met in order for something to happen. The verb in a simple si clause is usually in the present indicative, while the verb in the result clause is in the present or future tense. Si no sacas el helado del congelador ahora, estará muy duro cuando lo sirvas. If you don’t take the ice cream out of the freezer now, it will be very hard when you serve it. Si quieres, comemos fresas de postre. If you want, we’ll eat strawberries for dessert.
Si tuviera dinero, te invitaría a un café. Use the past subjunctive after si (if) to express situations that are contrary to fact of unlikely to happen. Note that the conditional tense follows in the next clause. Si tuviera dinero, te invitaría a un café. Enlatería los tomates si tú me ayudaras. Si yo fuera tú, no haría eso. Si tuviéramos tiempo, iríamos. Si tuviera tiempo, aprendería más sobre las misiones. If I had the money, I would ask you out for a coffee. I would can the tomatoes if you. If I were you, I wouldn’t do that. If we had time, we would go. If I had time, I’d learn more about the missions. Note that the conditional clause does not have a fixed position in the sentence; it may appear at the beginning or end of the sentence.
El Pluscamperfecto de Subjuntivo Pluperfect Subjunctive
It has the same communicative function as the pluperfect indicative It has the same communicative function as the pluperfect indicative. While the pluperfect indicative describes actions that are real, definite, or factual, the pluperfect subjunctive is used in subordinate clauses that express attitudes, wishes, feelings, emotions, or doubts. present past future hablar dudar (moment of bailar lamentar speaking) ver buscar
The pluperfect subjunctive is formed with the imperfect subjunctive of the auxiliary verb haber + the past participle. Imperfect subjunctive Past Participle yo hubiera tomado, comido, vivido tú hubieras Ud. él ella nosotros/as hubiéramos vosotros/as hubierais Uds., ellos, ellas hubieran
Dijo que el guardia había gritado al criminal. Compare the pluperfect indicative with the pluperfect subjunctive in the examples that follow. Dijo que el guardia había gritado al criminal. Deseaba que el guardia no hubiera gritado al criminal. The first sentence uses the indicative because the action in the subordinate clause is presented as fact. In the second sentence, the subjunctive is used because the subordinate clause espresses a hypothetical action – what he wished had not happened, not what necessarily did happen.
Si no hubiéramos comprado tantos alimentos, no habríamos comido tanto. When the si-clause containing contrary-to-fact information describes a past action, the pluperfect subjunctive is used in the si-clause, while the conditional perfect is used in the main clause. Si hubiera sabido que te gustaba, te habría hecho el cordero a la parilla. If I had known that you liked it, I would have made you the lamb on the grill. Si no hubiéramos comprado tantos alimentos, no habríamos comido tanto. If we hadn’t bought so much food, we wouldn’t have eaten so much.