The Spanish subjunctive mood might seem challenging at first, but understanding its conjugation patterns will help you master it quickly. Here’s everything you need to know about forming the present subjunctive.
Basic Formation Rule
To form the Spanish subjunctive, you’ll follow these steps:
- Take the yo (I) form of the present indicative
- Remove the -o ending
- Add the opposite vowel endings:
- For -ar verbs: add -e endings
- For -er/-ir verbs: add -a endings
Regular Verb Conjugations
-AR Verbs
Using HABLAR (to speak) as an example:
- yo hable (that I speak)
- tú hables (that you speak)
- él/ella/usted hable (that he/she/you formal speak)
- nosotros hablemos (that we speak)
- vosotros habléis (that you all speak)
- ellos/ellas/ustedes hablen (that they/you all speak)
-ER Verbs
Using COMER (to eat) as an example:
- yo coma (that I eat)
- tú comas (that you eat)
- él/ella/usted coma (that he/she/you formal eat)
- nosotros comamos (that we eat)
- vosotros comáis (that you all eat)
- ellos/ellas/ustedes coman (that they/you all speak)
-IR Verbs
Using VIVIR (to live) as an example:
- yo viva (that I live)
- tú vivas (that you live)
- él/ella/usted viva (that he/she/you formal live)
- nosotros vivamos (that we live)
- vosotros viváis (that you all live)
- ellos/ellas/ustedes vivan (that they/you all live)
Common Irregular Verbs
Some frequently used verbs have irregular subjunctive forms:
- SER (to be): sea, seas, sea, seamos, seáis, sean
- ESTAR (to be): esté, estés, esté, estemos, estéis, estén
- IR (to go): vaya, vayas, vaya, vayamos, vayáis, vayan
- HABER (to have, auxiliary): haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayáis, hayan
- SABER (to know): sepa, sepas, sepa, sepamos, sepáis, sepan
Stem-Changing Verbs
Many stem-changing verbs maintain their stem changes in the present subjunctive:
- PENSAR (e→ie, to think): piense, pienses, piense, pensemos, penséis, piensen
- DORMIR (o→ue, to sleep): duerma, duermas, duerma, durmamos, durmáis, duerman
- PEDIR (e→i, to ask for): pida, pidas, pida, pidamos, pidáis, pidan
Special Cases
- Verbs ending in -car, -gar, -zar undergo spelling changes to maintain pronunciation:
- BUSCAR → busque (not “busco”)
- PAGAR → pague (not “pago”)
- EMPEZAR → empiece (not “empezo”)
- Verbs with ‘i’ before the ending add ‘y’ in certain forms:
- CONSTRUIR → construya, construyas, construya, construyamos, construyáis, construyan
- INCLUIR → incluya, incluyas, incluya, incluyamos, incluyáis, incluyan
The Spanish subjunctive is essential for expressing desires, doubts, emotions, and hypothetical situations. By mastering these conjugation patterns, you’ll be better equipped to express yourself in these contexts naturally and correctly.