Unit 18 · The Subjunctive

You already know several tenses. Hablo (I speak) is present. Hablé (I spoke) is preterite. Hablaba (I used to speak) is imperfect. A tense answers the question when. Spanish verbs carry a second kind of information that English mostly hides: mood. Mood answers a different question: is the speaker reporting a fact, or wishing, doubting, or reacting to something? That second job belongs to the subjuntivo (subjunctive).

Compare two sentences from Lucía’s letter. "Mateo estudia cada día" (Mateo studies every day) is a report. The speaker is stating what happens. That is the indicativo (indicative), the mood you have used in every chapter so far. "Quiero que Mateo estudie cada día" (I want Mateo to study every day) is not a report. Nobody is saying that Mateo studies. Lucía is saying what she wants. The verb changes from estudia to estudie to mark that shift.

English used to do this too, and a few traces remain. "I suggest that he be on time" uses be instead of is. "If I were you" uses were instead of was. Most English speakers never think about those forms, which is why the Spanish subjunctive feels new. It is not new. It is a whole set of endings that Spanish uses every day, in every conversation where someone hopes, asks, doubts or feels something about what another person does.

Here is the rule to carry through the chapter. The indicative states what is. The subjunctive frames what someone wants, doubts, or feels about what might be. The same verb can appear in either mood, and the ending tells you which one you are hearing.

Look at the shape of a subjunctive sentence. "Quiero que estudies." It has two parts. The first, quiero (I want), is a main clause in the indicative. Then comes que (that). Then a second clause with a different subject, tú, and the verb in the subjunctive: estudies. A cláusula (clause) is a group of words with its own subject and verb. Most subjunctive sentences are built from exactly two of them, joined by que.

The change of subject is the key. In "Quiero estudiar" (I want to study), I am the one wanting and I am the one studying. There is one subject, so Spanish uses the infinitivo (infinitive), the plain -ar, -er or -ir form. In "Quiero que tú estudies" (I want you to study), I want but you study. Two subjects, two clauses, and the second verb goes into the subjunctive. English hides this with "I want you to study," which is why English speakers often say the wrong thing: "Quiero tú estudiar" is not Spanish.

Try it with Lucía’s other sentences. "Espero visitar a Lucía" (I hope to visit Lucía): one subject, infinitive. "Espero que Lucía me visite" (I hope Lucía visits me): two subjects, que, subjunctive. "Necesito dormir" (I need to sleep): one subject. "Necesito que duermas" (I need you to sleep): two subjects. The pattern is the same every time. Main clause, que, new subject, subjunctive verb.

One more thing to notice. The que is not optional in Spanish. English can say "I hope she comes" with no that. Spanish must say "Espero que venga." If you see a verb of wanting or hoping followed by que and a new subject, expect the subjunctive to follow.

The present subjunctive is built in three steps. Step one: take the present indicative yo form. For hablar (to speak) that is hablo. Step two: drop the -o. That leaves habl-. Step three: add the subjunctive endings. For -ar verbs they are -e, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en. So hablar gives hable, hables, hable, hablemos, habléis, hablen. Notice the trade: -ar verbs, whose indicative endings use the vowel a, switch to e in the subjunctive.

For -er and -ir verbs the trade runs the other way. Comer (to eat): yo como, drop the -o, com-, add -a, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. That gives coma, comas, coma, comamos, comáis, coman. Vivir (to live): vivo, viv-, viva, vivas, viva, vivamos, viváis, vivan. Learners sometimes call this the opposite vowel rule. An -ar verb takes e endings; an -er or -ir verb takes a endings. If you can conjugate the present indicative, you already have every piece you need.

Why start from the yo form and not the infinitive? Because many verbs change in the yo form, and the subjunctive keeps that change in all six persons. Tener (to have) has the yo form tengo, so its subjunctive is tenga, tengas, tenga, tengamos, tengáis, tengan. Hacer (to do, make) has hago, so haga, hagas, haga. Decir (to say) has digo, so diga. Conocer (to know a person) has conozco, so conozca. Salir (to leave) has salgo, so salga. Start from the infinitive and you would get the wrong stem every time.

Two common mistakes. First, learners forget that the yo and él/ella/usted forms are identical in the subjunctive: hable can mean I speak or he speaks, so context or a subject pronoun tells you which. Second, learners add -o to the subjunctive by habit and write hablo where they mean hable. Say the sentence with the trigger in front of it, Quiero que hable, and the o will sound wrong.

Stem-changing verbs follow the yo-form rule with one extra wrinkle. Pensar (to think, e→ie) has the yo form pienso, so the subjunctive is piense, pienses, piense, pensemos, penséis, piensen. The nosotros and vosotros forms drop the change, just as they do in the indicative (pensamos, not piensamos). Volver (to return, o→ue) works the same way: vuelva, vuelvas, vuelva, volvamos, volváis, vuelvan. Picture the boot shape you learned for the present tense. It still holds.

Verbs ending in -ir do one more thing. In the nosotros and vosotros forms, where the main change disappears, a smaller change appears: e becomes i, and o becomes u. Dormir (to sleep, o→ue) gives duerma, duermas, duerma, durmamos, durmáis, duerman. Sentir (to feel, e→ie) gives sienta, sientas, sienta, sintamos, sintáis, sientan. Pedir (to ask for, e→i) has the change in every form: pida, pidas, pida, pidamos, pidáis, pidan. Lucía’s advice "Es importante que duermas" uses the first one.

The last group is about spelling, not sound. In Spanish, c before e sounds soft, like s, and g before e sounds like the j in jalapeño. When an -ar verb whose stem ends in c, g or z takes the e endings, the spelling has to change to keep the hard sound you hear in the infinitive. Buscar (to look for) becomes busque, not busce. Llegar (to arrive) becomes llegue, with a silent u to keep the g hard. Empezar (to begin, e→ie) becomes empiece, because Spanish does not write z before e.

These are the same three spelling changes you met in the yo form of the preterite: busqué, llegué, empecé. If you remember those, you already know which verbs to watch. A quick test: say the subjunctive form out loud. If the c or g sound has changed from the infinitive, the spelling needs fixing.

The yo-form rule covers almost every verb in Spanish, because it is really a rule about the stem. But six verbs have yo forms that give no usable stem. Ser (to be) has soy. Estar (to be) has estoy. Ir (to go) has voy. Haber (there is, there are) has hay, and its true yo form is he. Saber (to know a fact) has sé. Dar (to give) has doy. Drop the -o from soy or doy and nothing helpful is left. So these six use special stems.

Here they are. Ser: sea, seas, sea, seamos, seáis, sean. Estar: esté, estés, esté, estemos, estéis, estén. Ir: vaya, vayas, vaya, vayamos, vayáis, vayan. Haber: haya (used mostly as the there-is form, "Espero que haya tiempo," I hope there is time). Saber: sepa, sepas, sepa, sepamos, sepáis, sepan. Dar: dé, des, dé, demos, deis, den. Two of these carry accents for a reason. Esté is stressed on the last syllable, so it needs the mark. Dé takes an accent to look different from de (of), even though both are one syllable.

You have already met these six as the stems of the usted commands: sea, esté, vaya, sepa, dé, plus haya. The command and the subjunctive are the same form, which is one reason the subjunctive feels familiar to heritage speakers. Lucía’s letter uses two of them: "Espero que mamá esté bien" (I hope Mom is well) and "Ojalá que vayas a la biblioteca" (I hope you go to the library). A grandparent’s "Que Dios te dé salud" (May God give you health) uses a third.

A memory trick many students use is the first letters: sea, esté, vaya, haya, sepa, dé. Learn them as a set, say them aloud until they come without effort, and watch for the two accents. The most common mistake is writing este for esté, which turns I hope she is into this.

Teachers often use the letters WEIRDO to remember what triggers the subjunctive: Wishes, Emotions, Impersonal expressions, Recommendations, Doubt, and Ojalá. This lesson takes the W. A wish is any verb that expresses what the speaker wants to happen, especially when another person has to do it. Querer que (to want that), esperar que (to hope that), desear que (to wish that), necesitar que (to need that), and preferir que (to prefer that) all belong here.

Watch the pattern in Lucía’s own words. "Quiero que estudies un poco cada día." Querer, que, new subject, subjunctive. "Espero que mamá esté bien." Esperar, que, new subject, subjunctive. "Necesito que me llames el domingo" (I need you to call me on Sunday). Necesitar, que, new subject, subjunctive. Every one of these sentences describes something that has not happened yet and may not happen. Lucía cannot make Mateo study. She can only want it. The subjunctive marks that gap between wanting and being.

Now the contrast that catches English speakers. "I want to study" and "I want you to study" look almost the same in English. In Spanish they are built differently. "Quiero estudiar" keeps one subject and uses the infinitive. "Quiero que estudies" has two subjects and needs que plus the subjunctive. The mistake to avoid is dragging the English pattern across: "Quiero tú estudiar" and "Quiero que estudias" are both wrong, one for word order and one for mood.

A short set of examples you can copy. Mis padres quieren que yo vaya a la universidad (My parents want me to go to college). Prefiero que tú manejes (I prefer that you drive). Esperamos que ustedes vengan a la fiesta (We hope you come to the party). Deseo que tengas un buen día (I wish you a good day). Notice that the subjunctive verb is always the second one, never the verb of wanting itself.

The E in WEIRDO stands for emotions. When the main clause reports a feeling about something someone else does, the que clause takes the subjunctive. Me alegra que (I am glad that), me molesta que (it bothers me that), me sorprende que (it surprises me that), siento que (I am sorry that), temo que (I fear that). "Me alegra que Lucía esté contenta" (I am glad Lucía is happy). Lucía’s happiness may be a fact, but the sentence is about my reaction to it, and Spanish marks that with the mood.

The I stands for impersonal expressions. These begin with es (it is) plus an adjective and are called impersonal because no person is the subject. Es importante que (it is important that), es necesario que (it is necessary that), es bueno que (it is good that), es mejor que (it is better that), es posible que (it is possible that), es una lástima que (it is a shame that). Lucía wrote "Es importante que duermas." She is not reporting that Mateo sleeps; she is judging that sleeping matters.

A useful test: does the main clause tell you what is true, or how someone feels or judges? "Es verdad que Lucía estudia mucho" (It is true that Lucía studies a lot) states a fact, so the verb stays indicative. "Es bueno que Lucía estudie mucho" (It is good that Lucía studies a lot) judges, so the verb turns subjunctive. Es verdad que, es cierto que, es obvio que and es evidente que all report certainty and keep the indicative. Almost every other es plus adjective phrase triggers the subjunctive.

When there is no specific subject, the impersonal expression takes an infinitive: "Es importante dormir" (It is important to sleep). Add a subject and you need que and the subjunctive: "Es importante que tú duermas." That is the same one-subject-or-two logic from earlier in the chapter.

The R in WEIRDO is for recommendations, which also covers requests and softened commands. Recomendar que (to recommend that), sugerir que (to suggest that), aconsejar que (to advise that), pedir que (to ask that), insistir en que (to insist that), and decir que when it means to tell someone to do something. Lucía wrote "Te recomiendo que hables con tus maestros." Recommend, que, you talk, subjunctive. The advice is a hope dressed as a tip.

Many of these verbs take an indirect object pronoun in front: te recomiendo (I recommend to you), le pido (I ask him or her), les sugiero (I suggest to them). The pronoun tells you who receives the advice, and the que clause tells you what they should do. "Le pido a mi hermano que me escriba" (I ask my brother to write to me). "Les aconsejo que lleguen temprano" (I advise them to arrive early). Do not let the pronoun fool you into thinking it is the subject; the subject of the subjunctive verb is the person who will act.

Decir is the tricky one, because it lives in two moods. When decir reports information, the que clause is indicative: "Lucía dice que la comida es buena" (Lucía says the food is good). When decir gives an order, the que clause is subjunctive: "Lucía dice que comas bien" (Lucía says to eat well, or Lucía tells you to eat well). The same is true of insistir. Ask whether the sentence passes on a fact or presses someone to act, and the mood will follow.

One more piece of good news. The usted and ustedes commands you already know, hable, coma, vaya, are the same forms as the subjunctive. "Hable con el maestro" (Talk to the teacher) and "Le recomiendo que hable con el maestro" (I recommend that you talk to the teacher) use the same word. Recommendations are polite commands with a que in front.

The D in WEIRDO is doubt. Dudar que (to doubt that), no creer que (to not believe that), no estar seguro de que (to not be sure that), no es cierto que (it is not true that), negar que (to deny that). "Dudo que Mateo estudie todos los días" (I doubt Mateo studies every day). The speaker is not reporting what Mateo does. The speaker is holding the idea at a distance, and the subjunctive marks that distance.

The flip side matters just as much. Creer que (to believe that), pensar que (to think that), estar seguro de que (to be sure that), es cierto que (it is true that) express confidence, so their que clause stays indicative. "Creo que Mateo estudia todos los días" (I think Mateo studies every day). The only change between creo que estudia and no creo que estudie is the word no, and it flips the mood. This is one of the clearest places in Spanish where the mood carries meaning by itself.

The O in WEIRDO is ojalá, a word Spanish took from Arabic during the centuries when Arabic was spoken across much of the Iberian Peninsula. It comes from a phrase meaning if God wills, and today it means I hope or let’s hope. Ojalá is always followed by the subjunctive, with or without que. "Ojalá que vengas en noviembre" (I hope you come in November). "Ojalá llueva" (I hope it rains). It has no subject and no conjugation; it simply opens the door to a wish.

Two habits to build. First, when you hear no in front of creer, pensar or es cierto, switch to the subjunctive. Second, when you hear ojalá, do not look for a trigger verb; ojalá is the trigger. "Ojalá que mamá no trabaje tanto" is a complete, correct sentence, and it is exactly what Lucía wrote.

Once students learn the subjunctive, many start using it everywhere, so this lesson is about restraint. Rule one: no change of subject, no subjunctive. "Quiero ir" (I want to go), "Espero terminar" (I hope to finish), "Prefiero manejar" (I prefer to drive). One person wants and does, so the second verb is an infinitive. Writing "Quiero que yo vaya" is a common learner error; it is grammatical but unnatural, like saying I want that I go.

Rule two: reporting and believing take the indicative. "Sé que Lucía estudia" (I know Lucía studies). "Creo que la comida es buena" (I think the food is good). "Es cierto que hace frío" (It is true that it is cold). "Lucía dice que tiene mucha tarea" (Lucía says she has a lot of homework). Each main clause treats the que clause as a fact. Learners who have just memorized WEIRDO sometimes write "Sé que Lucía estudie." Saber, creer without no, es verdad and decir when it reports are not triggers.

Rule three: the trigger verb itself is never subjunctive. In "Quiero que vengas," only vengas changes. Writing "Quiera que vengas" is a mistake that comes from over-applying the endings. The main clause stays in whatever indicative tense fits, and only the verb after que takes the new mood. A quick check is to cover everything before que; the remaining verb is the only candidate.

Put the three rules together as questions. Is there a que with a new subject? If not, use an infinitive. Does the main clause wish, feel, judge, advise or doubt? If not, use the indicative. If both answers are yes, use the subjunctive, and only on the second verb. Mateo runs each of Lucía’s sentences through those questions and every one comes out right.

Mateo’s reply puts the whole chapter on one page. He opens with an emotion: "Me alegra que estés contenta en la universidad" (I am glad you are happy at college). Emotion trigger, que, new subject, subjunctive of estar. He follows with a wish: "Espero que tus clases no sean muy difíciles" (I hope your classes are not very hard). Then an impersonal judgment: "Es bueno que tengas amigos nuevos" (It is good that you have new friends). Three sentences, three triggers, three subjunctive verbs, and every one was chosen on purpose.

Then he gives advice back, which is the fun part. "Te recomiendo que llames a la abuela los domingos; ella te extraña" (I recommend that you call Grandma on Sundays; she misses you). "Te sugiero que no comas pizza todas las noches" (I suggest that you not eat pizza every night). "Mamá dice que duermas más" (Mom says to sleep more). Notice that decir here is giving an instruction, so duermas is subjunctive, and dormir keeps its stem change in the tú form.

He closes with doubt and hope. "No creo que pueda visitarte en noviembre porque tengo un torneo" (I do not think I can visit you in November because I have a tournament). Poder becomes pueda. "Pero ojalá que vengas a casa para el Día de Acción de Gracias" (But I hope you come home for Thanksgiving). Then the one-subject sentences that need no subjunctive at all: "Quiero verte pronto" (I want to see you soon) and "Sé que estás muy ocupada" (I know you are very busy).

A letter like this is a checklist in disguise. Wishes, emotions, impersonal expressions, recommendations, doubt, ojalá: each one appears, each one takes que and a new subject, and each one ends in the opposite vowel. When you write your own letter at the end of this unit, use Mateo’s as a map, and read every subjunctive verb aloud with its trigger to hear whether it fits.

Omar and Daniela disagree about the new bus schedule. Daniela says, "Creo que el autobús llega a las siete" (I think the bus arrives at seven). Omar answers, "Dudo que llegue a las siete; siempre llega tarde" (I doubt it arrives at seven; it always arrives late). Two opinions, two moods. Creer que expresses belief and keeps the indicative llega. Dudar que expresses doubt and takes the subjunctive llegue. The mood tells the listener how much the speaker trusts the claim.

The doubt group includes dudar que (to doubt that), no creer que (to not believe that), no pensar que (to not think that), negar que (to deny that), no estar seguro de que (to not be sure that), and no es verdad que (it is not true that). The certainty group includes creer que, pensar que, estar seguro de que, saber que (to know that), es verdad que and es obvio que (it is obvious that). Learn them as pairs, because most of them are the same phrase with and without no.

That pairing is the point of this lesson. "Estoy seguro de que hay un parque nuevo" (I am sure there is a new park) uses hay. "No estoy seguro de que haya un parque nuevo" (I am not sure there is a new park) uses haya. "Es verdad que la ciudad necesita más luz" (It is true the city needs more light) uses necesita. "No es verdad que la ciudad necesite más luz" uses necesite. English says the same words either way; Spanish changes the verb.

Heritage speakers often have this instinct already and can hear that "no creo que viene" sounds off. If you do not have the instinct yet, build it with a test. Ask whether the speaker is standing behind the claim or stepping away from it. Standing behind it means indicative. Stepping away means subjunctive.

When creer or pensar turns into a question, the speaker is no longer stating a belief. "¿Crees que el alcalde escucha a los jóvenes?" (Do you think the mayor listens to young people?) with the indicative escucha is a neutral question. "¿Crees que el alcalde escuche a los jóvenes?" with the subjunctive escuche adds a shade of doubt, as if the asker already suspects the answer is no. Both are correct. The mood lets the speaker signal an attitude without saying it.

The words quizás and tal vez, both meaning maybe or perhaps, work the same way. "Quizás llueve mañana" (Maybe it rains tomorrow) with the indicative sounds fairly confident. "Quizás llueva mañana" with the subjunctive sounds genuinely unsure. Most speakers use the subjunctive after these words most of the time, and that is the safest choice for a learner. The word a lo mejor (maybe) is different: it always takes the indicative, "A lo mejor llueve."

Notice that none of these sentences has two clauses. Quizás and tal vez sit in front of a single verb, the way ojalá does. That is a reminder that the subjunctive is not really about que; it is about the speaker’s stance. Que is simply the most common place to see the stance change, because a main clause of wanting or doubting is usually there.

Daniela’s paragraph uses one of these. "Tal vez la ciudad no tenga dinero para más autobuses, pero debería buscarlo" (Maybe the city does not have money for more buses, but it should look for it). Tenga is subjunctive because she is guessing, not reporting.

Emotion verbs trigger the subjunctive even when the thing you feel about is a plain fact. "Me alegro de que el parque tenga luces nuevas" (I am glad the park has new lights). The lights are real. The sentence is still about my reaction, so tenga is subjunctive. This is the trigger English speakers resist the most, because in English the fact seems to matter more than the feeling. In Spanish, once the main clause reacts, the mood follows.

The common emotion triggers: alegrarse de que (to be glad that), sentir que (to be sorry that), temer que (to fear that), tener miedo de que (to be afraid that), sorprenderse de que (to be surprised that), esperar que (to hope that), es triste que (it is sad that), me gusta que (I like that), me molesta que (it bothers me that). Sentir has two meanings; "Siento que no puedas venir" means I am sorry you cannot come, with the subjunctive, but "Siento que va a llover" means I sense that it is going to rain, a report, with the indicative.

Daniela’s paragraph about her town has several. "Me molesta que los autobuses dejen de pasar a las nueve" (It bothers me that the buses stop running at nine). "Es triste que los niños no puedan jugar en el parque de noche" (It is sad that the kids cannot play in the park at night). "Temo que nada cambie" (I fear nothing changes). Each one names a feeling, then que, then a verb in the subjunctive.

Remember the one-subject rule from the previous chapter. "Me alegro de estar aquí" (I am glad to be here) uses the infinitive, because I am glad and I am here. "Me alegro de que estés aquí" (I am glad you are here) needs que and the subjunctive, because you are here and I am the one who is glad.

A conjunción (conjunction) is a word that joins two clauses, like because, so that, or before. Some Spanish conjunctions point to something that has not happened and may never happen, and those always take the subjunctive. Para que (so that): "Arreglan el parque para que los niños jueguen" (They are fixing the park so that the kids will play). The playing is the goal, not yet a fact. Antes de que (before): "Terminan antes de que empiece el verano" (They finish before summer begins). Summer has not begun.

The full set that always takes the subjunctive: para que (so that), antes de que (before), sin que (without), a menos que (unless), con tal de que (provided that), and en caso de que (in case). Teachers sometimes group them by their first letters. "No cambian nada a menos que la gente hable" (They do not change anything unless people speak up). "Salgo sin que mis padres me vean" (I leave without my parents seeing me). "Llevo paraguas en caso de que llueva" (I bring an umbrella in case it rains).

Contrast these with conjunctions that report a reason or a result. Porque (because) takes the indicative: "Arreglan el parque porque los vecinos se quejaron" (They are fixing the park because the neighbors complained). The complaining happened. Así que (so, therefore) also takes the indicative. The difference between para que and porque is the difference between a purpose and a cause. Purpose looks forward, so it takes the subjunctive; cause looks back, so it takes the indicative.

When there is no change of subject, several of these drop que and take an infinitive: "Trabajo para ganar dinero" (I work in order to earn money), "Antes de salir, cierro la puerta" (Before leaving, I close the door). Add a new subject and the que returns with the subjunctive: "Trabajo para que mi hermano gane dinero" (I work so that my brother earns money).

Cuando (when) is the most common conjunction in Spanish, and its mood depends on time. "Cuando llego a casa, hago la tarea" (When I get home, I do my homework) describes a habit, so it takes the indicative. "Cuando llegué a casa, hice la tarea" (When I got home, I did my homework) reports the past, also indicative. But "Cuando llegue a casa, haré la tarea" (When I get home, I will do my homework) points to a moment that has not arrived, and that pushes llegar into the subjunctive.

The same rule covers hasta que (until), en cuanto (as soon as), tan pronto como (as soon as), después de que (after) and mientras (while). Future and not yet real: subjunctive. Habit or past: indicative. "Esperaré hasta que termine la reunión" (I will wait until the meeting ends) uses termine. "Siempre espero hasta que termina la reunión" (I always wait until the meeting ends) uses termina. "En cuanto abran el parque, vamos a ir" (As soon as they open the park, we are going to go) uses abran.

English gives no help here. "When I get home" is the same in all three sentences, so English speakers must ask a question the language never made them ask: has this already happened, does it happen regularly, or is it still ahead? A future or a command in the main clause is the strongest clue. "Llámame cuando llegues" (Call me when you arrive) is a command about a moment still to come, so llegues is subjunctive.

Señora Reyes’s class made a chart. Past: cuando llegué. Habit: cuando llego. Future: cuando llegue. The first two are indicative in different tenses. Only the third is subjunctive, and only because the arrival is still ahead. Daniela’s paragraph ends with one: "Cuando yo sea alcaldesa, los autobuses van a pasar toda la noche" (When I am mayor, the buses are going to run all night).

The present subjunctive handles wishes and doubts about now and the future. When the main clause is in the past, or when the wish is only imagined, Spanish uses the imperfecto de subjuntivo (imperfect subjunctive). It has one starting point for every verb in the language: the ellos form of the preterite. That is the good news. There are no separate irregulars to learn, because every irregularity already lives in the preterite you know.

Three steps. Take the preterite ellos form of hablar: hablaron. Drop -ron: habla-. Add -ra, -ras, -ra, -ramos, -rais, -ran: hablara, hablaras, hablara, habláramos, hablarais, hablaran. Comer: comieron, comie-, comiera, comieras, comiera, comiéramos, comierais, comieran. Vivir: vivieron, viviera, vivieras, viviera, viviéramos, vivierais, vivieran. The only accent falls on the nosotros form, on the vowel just before -ramos.

Now the verbs that are irregular in the preterite. Ser and ir share fueron, so both become fuera, fueras, fuera, fuéramos, fuerais, fueran. Tener: tuvieron, tuviera. Estar: estuvieron, estuviera. Poder: pudieron, pudiera. Hacer: hicieron, hiciera. Decir: dijeron, dijera. Querer: quisieron, quisiera. Saber: supieron, supiera. Poner: pusieron, pusiera. Haber: hubieron, hubiera. Dar: dieron, diera. Ver: vieron, viera. Dormir: durmieron, durmiera. Pedir: pidieron, pidiera. If you know the preterite, you have them all.

There is a second set of endings, -se, -ses, -se, -semos, -seis, -sen (hablase, comiese), used more in Spain and in older writing. You will see it in books and hear it from some speakers. It means the same thing. This course teaches the -ra forms, which are the everyday choice across Latin America and the ones Daniela’s grandmother uses.

Every trigger from the last chapter still works in the past. The only change is that the subjunctive after que shifts back with it. Present: "Quiero que vengas" (I want you to come). Past: "Quería que vinieras" (I wanted you to come). Present: "Es importante que duermas." Past: "Era importante que durmieras." Present: "Dudo que llegue." Past: "Dudaba que llegara." This matching of tenses is called the concordancia de tiempos (sequence of tenses). A present trigger takes the present subjunctive; a past trigger takes the imperfect subjunctive.

The past trigger can be preterite or imperfect. "Mi abuela quería que yo estudiara medicina" (My grandmother wanted me to study medicine). "El maestro nos pidió que escribiéramos un párrafo" (The teacher asked us to write a paragraph). "Me alegré de que vinieran" (I was glad they came). "No creía que fuera posible" (I did not think it was possible). In each case, cover the main clause and you will find an -ra form after que.

Omar tells the class what happened at the town meeting, and the story is full of these. "El alcalde pidió que los jóvenes hablaran primero" (The mayor asked that the young people speak first). "Yo quería que todos me escucharan" (I wanted everyone to listen to me). "Era necesario que alguien dijera la verdad sobre el parque" (It was necessary for someone to tell the truth about the park). "Me sorprendió que tantos vecinos vinieran" (It surprised me that so many neighbors came).

The mistake to watch is mixing the tenses: "Quería que vengas" pairs a past trigger with a present subjunctive, and it sounds wrong to native ears. Match the times, and the sentence will hold together. If the wanting was in the past, the coming is in the imperfect subjunctive too.

Before building the if-sentence from the story, you need its second half. The condicional (conditional) is the tense for would. "Cambiaría el parque" means I would change the park. It is one of the easiest tenses to form: keep the whole infinitive and add -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían. Hablar: hablaría, hablarías, hablaría, hablaríamos, hablaríais, hablarían. Comer: comería. Vivir: viviría. Every ending carries an accent on the í, and the endings are identical for -ar, -er and -ir verbs.

The conditional uses the same irregular stems as the future tense. Tener becomes tendría, poner pondría, salir saldría, venir vendría, poder podría, saber sabría, haber habría, querer querría, hacer haría, decir diría. If you learned "tendré" for I will have, then "tendría" for I would have is the same stem with a different ending. Daniela wrote "pondría más autobuses" (I would put on more buses). That is poner with its irregular stem.

The conditional does three jobs. It says what would happen: "Con más dinero, la ciudad arreglaría las calles" (With more money, the city would fix the streets). It softens a request: "¿Podría hablar con el alcalde?" (Could I speak with the mayor?). And it reports what someone said would happen: "Dijo que vendría" (She said she would come). In this chapter it does the first job, as the partner of the imperfect subjunctive.

Be careful not to confuse the conditional with the imperfect indicative. Comería (I would eat) and comía (I used to eat) look alike, but the conditional keeps the whole infinitive, comer-, in front of the ending. The imperfect drops it: com-ía. Say them side by side and the extra syllable in the conditional stands out.

Here is the sentence from the board, taken apart. "Si pudieras cambiar una cosa, ¿qué cambiarías?" The si clause holds the condition, and the verb is pudieras, imperfect subjunctive, because the condition is imagined. The other clause holds the result, and the verb is cambiarías, conditional, because it is what would follow. Si plus imperfect subjunctive, then conditional. That is the whole recipe, and it works for every contrary-to-fact sentence in Spanish.

"Si tuviera dinero, viajaría" (If I had money, I would travel). "Si yo fuera alcaldesa, pondría más luces" (If I were mayor, I would put in more lights). "Si la ciudad arreglara el parque, los niños jugarían allí" (If the city fixed the park, the kids would play there). "Si tuviéramos más autobuses, la gente no manejaría tanto" (If we had more buses, people would not drive so much). The order of the two halves can flip: "Viajaría si tuviera dinero." The forms do not change.

Two mistakes to avoid. First, English speakers sometimes put the conditional in both halves, "Si tendría dinero, viajaría," because both feel like would. The si clause never takes the conditional. Second, some learners use the present subjunctive after si, "Si tenga dinero." Si never takes the present subjunctive either. After si, the choice is between the present indicative, for a real possibility, and the imperfect subjunctive, for something imagined.

Daniela’s grandmother uses these every day: "Si yo fuera joven, aprendería a manejar" (If I were young, I would learn to drive). "Si tuviera tu edad, estudiaría más" (If I were your age, I would study more). Notice that English also flips to were in "if I were," the one place English still marks this mood. Spanish marks it every time.

Omar’s first draft, "Si puedo cambiar una cosa, cambio el parque," was not wrong Spanish. It was the wrong kind of if. Si with the present indicative describes a real, open possibility, and the result goes in the present or the future. "Si llueve, no vamos al parque" (If it rains, we are not going to the park). "Si estudias, vas a aprobar" (If you study, you will pass). "Si tengo tiempo, te llamaré" (If I have time, I will call you). These are conditions that might come true today.

Si with the imperfect subjunctive describes something the speaker treats as unreal, and the result goes in the conditional. "Si lloviera, no iríamos al parque" (If it rained, we would not go to the park), said on a sunny day. "Si estudiaras, aprobarías" (If you studied, you would pass), said to someone who does not. "Si tuviera tiempo, te llamaría" (If I had time, I would call you), meaning I do not. Same si, different mood, different world.

Put the two side by side with the assignment. Real: "Si el alcalde escucha, la ciudad va a cambiar" (If the mayor listens, the city is going to change). Imagined: "Si el alcalde escuchara, la ciudad cambiaría" (If the mayor listened, the city would change). The first speaker thinks it might happen. The second speaker is sure it will not, or is dreaming. Señora Reyes wanted the second kind, because the assignment asks what you would do with a power you do not have.

Omar’s final paragraph shows the whole unit at work. "Si pudiera cambiar una cosa, arreglaría el parque para que los niños jugaran sin miedo. Dudo que el alcalde lo haga pronto, pero ojalá que alguien me escuche." (If I could change one thing, I would fix the park so that the kids could play without fear. I doubt the mayor will do it soon, but I hope someone listens to me.) Imperfect subjunctive, conditional, para que with the past subjunctive, doubt, and ojalá, in three lines.