🌙 Pretérito Imperfecto de Subjuntivo 🌙
Master the Past Subjunctive - The Key to Hypothetical Worlds!
Remember when we talked about English having a subjunctive mood? Well, the Imperfect Subjunctive is exactly what you use when you say "If I were..." instead of "If I was..." in English! Look at these examples:
✓ "If I were you..." (not "was")
✓ "I wish I were taller." (not "was")
✓ "If he were here..." (not "was")
✓ "She acted as if she were the boss." (not "was")
In Spanish, the Imperfect Subjunctive serves this exact purpose! Every time you'd use "were" in English for hypothetical situations, you'll use the Imperfect Subjunctive in Spanish. The difference? Spanish uses it much more consistently and frequently!
These two subjunctive tenses work together just like the two past tenses in the Indicative. The key is time reference and context:
Present/Future Reference
Espero que vengas mañana.
(I hope you come tomorrow.)
Dudo que él esté aquí.
(I doubt he is here.)
Past Reference
Esperaba que vinieras ayer.
(I hoped you would come yesterday.)
Dudaba que él estuviera allí.
(I doubted he was there.)
Golden Rule:
If the main verb is in the past (imperfect, preterite, conditional), use Imperfect Subjunctive.
If the main verb is in the present/future, use Present Subjunctive.
Why This Power Matters
The Pretérito Imperfecto de Subjuntivo is essential for sophisticated Spanish. It's used in formal writing, hypothetical "if" clauses (si clauses), polite requests, expressing past wishes/doubts/emotions, and contrary-to-fact statements. Without it, you can't say "If I were rich...", "I wish I had...", or "It would be good if...". This tense is absolutely crucial for GCSE, A-Level, and any advanced Spanish communication!
Spanish has TWO completely interchangeable forms for the Imperfect Subjunctive! Both mean exactly the same thing, and you can use either one. The -RA form is more common in modern Spanish, especially in Latin America and everyday conversation.
More Common
Used in speech & writing
hablara, comiera, viviera
More Formal/Literary
Common in Spain & formal texts
hablase, comiese, viviese
For this lesson:
We'll focus on the -RA form since it's more commonly used. However, you should be able to recognise the -SE form when you see it. The formation rules are identical for both!
HABLAR: hablaron → habla- → hablara, hablaras, hablara...
COMER: comieron → comie- → comiera, comieras, comiera...
VIVIR: vivieron → vivie- → viviera, vivieras, viviera...
Let's conjugate the three model verbs. Remember: take the preterite ellos form, remove -ron, add the new endings!
⚠️ IMPORTANT: The nosotros form has an accent on the vowel before -ramos!
| Pronombre | Preterite Ellos | HABLAR (to speak) | COMER (to eat) | VIVIR (to live) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | hablaron → habla- | hablara | comiera | viviera |
| Tú | comieron → comie- | hablaras | comieras | vivieras |
| Él / Ella / Usted | vivieron → vivie- | hablara | comiera | viviera |
| Nosotros/as | (has accent!) | habláramos | comieramos | vivieramos |
| Vosotros/as | hablarais | comierais | vivierais | |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | hablaran | comieran | vivieran |
For completeness, here's the -SE form. It follows the exact same formation rule (preterite ellos → remove -ron), but uses different endings. The meanings are identical to the -RA form.
comiese, comieses, comiese, comiésemos, comieseis, comiesen
viviese, vivieses, viviese, viviésemos, vivieseis, viviesen
💡 For your exams and everyday use: Master the -RA form first. You can recognise -SE forms when reading, but use -RA when speaking and writing.
Here's the brilliant part: every irregular stem from the preterite carries over directly! No new irregulars to learn. If you mastered the Pretérito Perfecto Simple irregulars, you already know these stems!
Remember these irregular preterite stems? They're back! Take the preterite ellos form, remove -eron/-ieron, add -RA endings:
tuvieron → tuvie- → tuviera
estuvieron → estuvie- → estuviera
pudieron → pudie- → pudiera
pusieron → pusie- → pusiera
supieron → supie- → supiera
hicieron → hicie- → hiciera
quisieron → quisie- → quisiera
vinieron → vinie- → viniera
dijeron → dije- → dijera
trajeron → traje- → trajera
condujeron → conduje- → condujera
anduvieron → anduvie- → anduviera
Just like in the preterite, SER and IR share the same forms. Context tells you which one!
Si yo fuera tú... = If I were you... (SER)
Si yo fuera al cine... = If I went to the cinema... (IR)
Remember how -IR verbs had vowel changes in the preterite third person? Those same changes appear in ALL forms of the Imperfect Subjunctive!
Stem: durmie-
Forms: durmiera, durmieras, durmiera, durmiéramos, durmierais, durmieran
Stem: pidie-
Forms: pidiera, pidieras, pidiera, pidiéramos, pidierais, pidieran
Stem: sintie-
Forms: sintiera, sintieras, sintiera, sintiéramos, sintierais, sintieran
Verbs whose stems end in a vowel had spelling changes in preterite (leyeron, oyeron). Those continue here:
leyeron → leye- → leyera
oyeron → oye- → oyera
cayeron → caye- → cayera
creyeron → creye- → creyera
Si clauses (also called conditional sentences) express hypothetical or contrary-to-fact situations. In English, we say "If I were rich, I would travel." Spanish uses the exact same structure with Imperfect Subjunctive + Conditional!
= If I were rich, I would travel around the world.
= If you had time, would you come with me?
= If she studied more, she would pass the exam.
= If we could, we would buy a house.
2. The two clauses can be reversed: "Viajaría por el mundo si fuera rico."
3. This structure expresses what would happen IF a condition (that probably isn't true) were met.
When to Wield This Power
Use Imperfect Subjunctive when:
1. After SI for hypotheticals
2. Main verb is in the past (quería que, dudaba que, etc.)
3. After "como si" (as if)
4. For very polite requests (quisiera, pudiera)
Always check: Is there a WEDDING trigger in the past? Use Imperfect Subjunctive!