The imperfect subjunctive in Spanish is used similarly to the present subjunctive (to express desire, doubt, opinions, etc.), but when we talk about past events. For example: Quería que vinieras conmigo al concierto. ("I wanted you to come with me to the concert.") It is also used when we have a situation contrary to present facts, for example: Ojalá estuviera de vacaciones. ("I wish I were on vacation.") Did you know it can also be used to make polite requests? The imperfect subjunctive isn’t that imperfect after all!
The Spanish subjunctive has three past tenses: the imperfect, present perfect, and the past perfect. Let’s start with the imperfect subjunctive, how to form it, and how to use it. But, don’t forget to check out “How to use the present perfect and past perfect subjunctive in Spanish?” to learn about the other two past tenses of the subjunctive.
The imperfect subjunctive is formed following a very simple rule.
Take the third-personNo definition set for third-personLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. plural form (ellos, ellas, ustedes) of the preterite in the indicativeNo definition set for indicativeLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.:
bailaron ("they danced"), comieron ("they ate"), vivieron ("they lived")
Take off the ending ron:
bailaron, comieron, vivieron
And add the following endings:
Header | Header | Header |
|---|---|---|
yo | -ra | bailara |
tú | -ras | bailaras |
él, ella, usted | -ra | bailara |
nosotros | -ramos | bailáramos |
vosotros* | -rais | bailarais |
ellos, ellas, ustedes | -ran | bailaran |
*vosotros is only used in Spain.
Endings are the same for ar, er, and ir verbs, and for regular and irregular verbs
The yo form and the él and ella form are the same
The nosotros form carries an accent in the last syllable before the ending
For a summary of irregular verb stems in the Spanish imperfect subjunctive, click the link!
There are two forms of the imperfect subjunctive that can be used interchangeably:
comer ("to eat")The -ra form: comiera
The -se form: comiese (this form is less common)
If you want to know how the -se form is conjugated, take a look at our conjugation tables!
Recall that the subjunctive is mostly used in a subordinate clauseNo definition set for subordinate clauseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of a two-part sentence:
MAIN CLAUSE
SUBORDINATE CLAUSE
Me gustaría
I would like
que
that
llegaras más temprano mañana.
you arrive earlier tomorrow.
In order to know when to use the imperfect subjunctive, there are two key questions you should ask yourself:
Does the main clause have a trigger for the subjunctive?
A verb that expresses desire, doubt, necessity, opinion, etc.
A conjunction like a menos que ("unless"), para que ("so that"), etc.
A Spanish adjective clause describing a noun in the main clauseNo definition set for main clauseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. that is unknown or uncertain for the speaker:
Buscaba una persona que supiera de finanzas ("I was looking for a person who would know about finances")
Does this trigger refer to the past or to a situation contrary to the present?
If your answer to both questions is yes, then we need the imperfect subjunctive. Let’s get to it!
Need to refresh your memory on the verbs and expressions that trigger the Spanish subjunctive? Look no further! We have a cheat-sheet for you!
We use the imperfect subjunctive when we talk about the past in the same contexts where we would use the present subjunctive: to express doubt, wishes, opinions, negation, with trigger conjunctionsNo definition set for conjunctionsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., etc. We express the past in the main clause using a verb in the preterite, imperfect, or pluperfect indicative.
For example:
Present:
Espero que mis amigos lleguen a la cena.
I hope that my friends come to the dinner party.
Past:
Esperaba que mis amigos llegaran a la cena.
I was hoping that my friends would come to the dinner party.
The phrase esperaba que is a trigger for the subjunctive since it expresses hope. But because the verb in the main clause is in the imperfect indicative then we must use the imperfect subjunctive in the subordinate clause.
The same is true if the verb in the main clause is in the preterite or the pluperfect:
No creí que fueran a venir.
I didn’t think they were going to come.
El director te dejó ir a la excursión con tal de que sacaras buenas notas.
The principal allowed you to go on the field trip provided that you got good grades.
Les habíamos pedido que trajeran más agua.
We had asked them to bring more water.
We can also pair the imperfect subjunctive with a verb in the present but only when we want to give our opinion about something that occurred in the past.
The imperfect subjunctive is used to express situations that are contrary to present reality. In this case, it will refer to present or future actions using the trigger ojalá ("I wish"), or a verb in the conditional simple tense in the main clause. Let’s break it down!
In a previous post on the Spanish subjunctive, we discussed that we could use the subjunctive to express wishes using ojalá ("I wish"). We can use ojaláfollowed by the imperfect subjunctive when we express a wish in the present that is impossible, for example:
Or a wish in the future that is unlikely to happen:
To talk about hypothetical situations we can use the conditional moodNo definition set for conditional moodLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. in the main clause. When we have an expression in the main clause that triggers the subjunctive with a verb in the conditional simple, then the verb in the subordinate clause must be in the imperfect subjunctive.
Nos gustaría que buscaras otro trabajo.
We would like you to find another job.
Preferiría que sacaras la basura lo antes posible.
I would prefer that you took out the garbage as soon as possible.
If you want to know how the Spanish conditional simple is formed, check out our post!
Another very common use of the imperfect subjunctive is when it’s used together with the conditional simple in a si ("if") clause. These types of clauses are used to talk about implications of a condition in the following order:
Si CLAUSE
MAIN CLAUSE
Si imperfect subjunctive + conditional simple
Si tuviera dinero, compraría una mansión.
If I had money, I would buy a mansion.
These sentences are used to talk about situations that are contrary to the present reality like the example above. They can also be used to express a remote condition that could theoretically be fulfilled:
Si fueras más amable, no tendrías tantos problemas.
If you were nicer, you wouldn’t have so many problems.
You can also use the imperfect subjunctive with the phrase como si ("as if") to express something contrary to reality.
Tomás habla como si conociera del tema.
Tomas speaks as if he knew about the topic.
Finally, the imperfect subjunctive is used as an alternative to the present indicative or the conditional simple to make a polite request with verbs poder ("to be able"), querer ("to want"), and deber ("should/ought"). For example:
In this post we saw how to form the imperfect subjunctive and the main uses of this tense. The imperfect subjunctive is used:
In subordinate clauses when the main clause has an expression that triggers the subjunctive, and the verb refers to:
an action in the past
a situation contrary to present reality
Or in the main clause to express polite requests.
Here’s a chart to show the different tenses that can be paired up with the imperfect subjunctive.
MAIN CLAUSE | + | SUBORDINATE CLAUSE |
|---|---|---|
INDICATIVE | SUBJUNCTIVE | |
Preterite, imperfect, pluperfect | ||
Conditional simple | ||
Don’t forget to check out our next post to learn about the other two past tenses in the subjunctive and when you’re done, check out this activity on the Spanish imperfect subjunctive!
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