Spanish Subjunctive Mood
The Spanish subjunctive mood is used to express doubt in whether an action will indeed take place. It can also express how a person feels about an action, a wish, intent, or command for a possible state of being, and facts contrary to reality.
Conjugating the Present Subjunctive of Regular Verbs
To conjugate the present subjunctive of regular verbs, start with the yo (first person singular) of the present indicative form of the verb. Drop the –o ending and replace it with the appropriate endings.
| -AR Verbs
|
-ER and –IR Verbs | |||||
| Mirar
To look |
Poner
To put |
Vivir
To live |
||||
| Pronoun
|
Ending | Subjunctive | Pronoun
|
Ending | Subjunctive | Subjunctive |
| yo
|
-e | mire | yo
|
-a | ponga | viva |
| tú
|
-es | mires | tú
|
-as | pongas | vivas |
| ud., él, ella
|
-e | mire | ud., él, ella
|
-a | ponga | viva |
| nosotros,
nosotras |
-emos | miremos | nosotros,
nosotras |
-amos | pongamos | vivamos |
| vosotros,
vosotras |
-éis | miréis | vosotros,
vosotras |
-áis | pongáis | viváis |
| uds., ellos, ellas | -en | miren | uds., ellos, ellas | -an | pongan | vivan |
Radical-Changing Verbs
In the present subjunctive, o>ue and e>ie radical changing verbs of –AR and –ER conjugations retain the original vowel of the infinitive in first and second person plural.
| E > EI | O > UE | |||
| Cerrar
To close |
Poder
To be able to |
|||
| Pronoun | Indicative | Subjunctive | Indicative | Subjunctive |
| yo
|
cierro | cierre | puedo | pueda |
| tú
|
cierras | cierres | puedes | puedas |
| ud., él, ella
|
cierra | cierre | puede | pueda |
| nosotros,
nosotras |
cerramos | cerremos | podemos | podamos |
| vosotros,
vosotras |
cerráis | cerréis | podéis | podáis |
| uds., ellos, ellas | cierran | cirerren | pueden | puedan |
–IR radical-changing verbs have the following vowel changes in the first and second persons plural:
| E > EI: I | O > UE: U | E>I: I | |
| Pronoun | Preferir
To prefer |
Morir
To die |
Pedir
To ask for |
| nosotros,
nosotras |
prefiramos | muramos | pidamos |
| vosotros,
vosotras |
prefiráis
|
muráis
|
pidáis |
In addition to the above rules, note that any verbs ending –zar change c to z in the subjun
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