Elma Eagles  

 

Click Here to Go Back to AP Spanish

Grammar Summary

Spanish-3 Unidad 3 Etapa 1

The Subjunctive for Expressing Wishes

You have already learned to use the subjunctive with impersonal opinions, expressions of emotion, expressions of doubt or uncertainty.   Remember that it is also used to express wishes and desires, when what one wishes for is uncertain.  Here is a list of verbs that can be followed by the subjunctive:

dejar to allow
exigir to demand
insistir en to insist on
oponerse a to oppose
prohibir to prohibit
rogar to beg
suplicar to ask, plead, beg
aconsejar to advise, counsel
desear to desire
esperar to hope
mandar to send
pedir to request
permitir to permit
querer to want
recomendar to recommend
sugerir to suggest

The Subjunctive with Conjunctions

You've already learned about using the subjunctive with conjunctions of time.  There are other conjunctions that express degrees of doubt or uncertainy and therefore are followed by the subjunctive:

a menos que unless
con tal (de) que provided that, as long as
en caso de que in case
para que so that
antes (de) que before

With most conjunctions (the exception is a menos que, which is always followed by subjunctive), when you are certain of the outcome, you drop que, and use the infinitive of the verb instead of the subjunctive.  Compare these sentences:

Yo necesito felicitar a la graduanda antes de que ella salga Yo necesito felicitar a la graduanda antes de salir
I need to congratulate the graduate before she leaves (You are not sure when she will leave)  Notice also that there are two different subjects, I and she. I need to congratulate the graduate before I leave (You know when you will leave).  Notice that the subject is the same in both clauses (I).

The Imperfect Subjunctive

You already know the Present Subjunctive and the Present Perfect Subjunctive.  There are also past forms of the subjunctive.  Use the imperfect subjunctive when the context of the sentence is in the past

Present Context Present Context Past Context
Present Subjunctive Present Perfect Subjunctive Imperfect Subjunctive
Espero que hagas la tarea Espero que hayas hecho la tarea Esperé que hicieras la tarea
I hope that you do (or will do) your homework I hope that you have done your homework I hoped that you did your homework

You form the imperfect subjunctive by removing the -ron ending from the ellos/ustedes form of the preterite and adding a special set of endings.  In fact, there are two sets of these endings, and you will often see both used in literature.  (At this time you are not responsible for knowing the Alternate set of endings).  Whichever set of endings is used, they are the same for -AR, -ER and -IR verbs.

Ellos/ustedes Preterite Form Imperfect Subjunctive Forms Alternate imperfect Subjunctive Forms
hablaron hablara hablese
  hablaras hableses
  hablara hablese
  habláramos hablésemos
  hablárais habléseis
  hablaran hablesen

If a verb is irregular in the ellos/ustedes form of the preterite (like the verb ir) it will also be irregular in the imperfect subjunctive:

Ellos/ustedes Preterite Form Imperfect Subjunctive Forms Alternate imperfect Subjunctive Forms
fueron fuera fuese
  fueras fueses
  fuera fuese
  fuéramos fuésemos
  fuérais fuéseis
  fueran fuesen