⇒ The imperfect subjunctive (el imperfecto de subjuntivo) follows many of the same rules as the present subjunctive.
⇒ Introduced with a preterite, imperfect, conditional, or past perfect WEIRDO verb in the independent clause, the imperfect subjunctive often refers to a previous experience, but can also refer to unlikely events or possibilities.
⇒ Check out these examples of the imperfect subjunctive:
| Si tuviera más dinero, viajaría por todo el mundo.If I had more money, I would travel around the whole world. |
| Si yo fuera tú, no lo haría.If I were you, I wouldn’t do it. |
⇒ To conjugate a verb in the imperfect subjunctive, you'll need to know the third person plural (ellos, ellas) preterite form of the verb you're using.
⇒ Why? Instead of using the infinitive for a stem, the imperfect subjunctive uses the third person plural of the preterite (minus the -ron).
⇒ Whatever the third person preterite from of a verb is, whether regular or irregular, becomes the base for the imperfect subjunctive stem.
| Imperfect Subjunctive Stem Formulaimperfect subjunctive stem = third person plural preterite form minus -ron ending |
⇒ Here are the imperfect subjunctive stems of some common Spanish verbs:
| Infinitive | Third Person Preterite Form | Imperfect Subjunctive Stem |
|---|---|---|
| caber | cupieron | cupie- |
| dar | dieron | die- |
| decir | dijeron | dije- |
| dormir | durmieron | durmie- |
| estar | estuvieron | estuvie- |
| haber | hubieron | hubie- |
| hablar | hablaron | habla- |
| hacer | hicieron | hicie- |
| ir | fueron | fue- |
| leer | leyeron | leye- |
| tener | tuvieron | tuvie- |
| pedir | pidieron | pidie- |
| poder | pudieron | pudie- |
| poner | pusieron | pusie- |
| preferir | prefirieron | prefirie- |
| querer | quisieron | quisie- |
| saber | supieron | supie- |
| sentir | sintieron | sintie- |
| ser | fueron | fue- |
| traducir | tradujeron | traduje- |
| traer | trajeron | traje- |
| ver | vieron | vie- |
⇒ When conjugating the imperfect subjunctive, you can choose from two different sets of endings
⇒ Both are correct, though use of the first set, whose yo ending is -ra, is more widespread.
| Subject | Subjunctive 1 Endings | Subjunctive 2 Endings |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -ra | -se |
| tú | -ras | -ses |
| él, ella, usted | -ra | -se |
| nosotros | -ramos | -semos |
| vosotros | -rais | -seis |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | -ran | -sen |
⇒ Watch out for the accents: Nosotros imperfect subjunctive conjugations have a tilde on the vowel that comes immediately before the subjunctive ending. For example:
⇒ Here are three common verbs conjugated in the imperfect subjunctive with each set of endings...
| Subject | Hablar | Hacer | Traducir |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hablara | hiciera | tradujera |
| tú | hablaras | hicieras | tradujeras |
| él, ella, usted | hablara | hiciera | tradujera |
| nosotros | habláramos | hiciéramos | tradujéramos |
| vosotros | hablarais | hicierais | tradujerais |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | hablaran | hicieran | tradujeran |
| Subject | Hablar | Hacer | Traducir |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hablase | hiciese | tradujese |
| tú | hablases | hicieses | tradujeses |
| él, ella, usted | hablase | hiciese | tradujese |
| nosotros | hablásemos | hiciésemos | tradujésemos |
| vosotros | hablaseis | hicieseis | tradujeseis |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | hablasen | hiciesen | tradujesen |
⇒ The imperfect subject can be used to talk about past occurrences, current opinions of past events, doubts and wishes, as well as in if clauses and polite requests.
⇒ If the WEIRDO verb in the independent clause is in the preterite or the imperfect, then the subjunctive verb that follows will be imperfect.
| Quise que vinieras/vinieses a mi fiesta.I wanted you to come to my party. |
| Tenía miedo de que no lloviera/lloviese.I was scared it wouldn't rain. |
| Le iba a prestar dinero para que se comprara un abrigo.I was going to lend him money so he could buy a coat. |
⇒ The imperfect subjunctive can also be used to express current emotions, doubts, etc. about something that happened in the past.
| Es bueno que él se casara/casase.It's good that he got married. |
| No me parece que el viaje fuera/fuese largo.It doesn't seem to me that the journey was long. |
⇒ It's common to see ojalá or ojalá que used with the imperfect subjunctive to express the idea of hoping for something that is unlikely to happen or is impossible.
| Ojalá que nevara/nevase en Panamá.I wish it were snowing in Panama. |
| Ojalá mi hermano se casara/casase.I wish my brother were getting married. |
⇒ When preceded by si (if), the imperfect subjunctive is often used to talk about hypotheticals. Note that the other verb in these constructions is in the conditional.
| Si yo fuera/fuese reina, viajaría por todo el mundo.If I were queen, I would travel all over the world. |
| Pintaría más seguido si tuviera/tuviese más tiempo.I would paint more often if I had more time. |
⇒ The imperfect subjunctive can be used to make very polite suggestions or formal requests.
| Quisiera/Quisiese dos semanas de vacaciones.I would like two weeks of vacation. |