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You already know two tenses that refer to the past, the preterite and the imperfect. How is each tense used?
Here’s how:
• Use the preterite tense to describe an action or series of actions completed in the past.
Aquel día, Pedro fue a la playa y jugó al voleibol playero.
• Use the imperfect tense for ongoing actions or states of being in the past without focusing on their beginning or end. Always use the imperfect to say what time it was or what the weather was like in the past.
Elena siempre iba a la playa cuando hacía buen tiempo.
• Sometimes you need the imperfect and the preterite in the same sentence.
Use the imperfect to tell what was going on in the background. Use the preterite for the interrupting action or main event.
Yo nadaba cuando Pedro llegó a la playa.
That day, Pedro went to the beach and played beach volleyball.
Elena always used to go to the beach when the weather was nice.
I was swimming when Pedro arrived at the beach.
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Some verbs are irregular in the subjunctive. How are they conjugated?
Here’s how:
Verbs ending in -ar and -er have the same stem changes as in the present indicative.
cerrar (e Æ ie) volver (o Æ ue) Es importante que cierres la puerta. Es bueno que yo vuelva pronto. It’s important that you close the door. It’s good that I am returning soon.
The stem changes for -ir verbs follow the same pattern as in the present indicative for all forms except nosotros and vosotros, where they change e Æ i or o Æ u.
divertirse (e Æ ie, i) dormir (o Æ ue, u) Es imprescindible que se diviertan. Es necesario que todos durmamos aquí. It’s important that they have fun. It’s necessary that we all sleep here.
Verbs that change e Æ i in the present indicative have the same stem change in all forms of the present subjunctive.
pedir (e Æ i)Es mejor que tú pidas primero y que nosotros pidamos después de ti. It is best that you order first and that we order after you.
dar estar ir saber ser
dé esté vaya sepa sea des estés vayas sepas seas dé esté vaya sepa sea demos estemos vayamos sepamos seamos deis estéis vayáis sepáis seáis den estén vayan sepan sean
You have already learned how to form the subjunctive. After verbs of hope, use the subjunctive if there is a change of subject.
Here’s how: Use the indicative for the verb expressing a hope or wish and the subjunctive for the verb with a new subject.
Ella quiere que su hijo se comporte bien. She wants her son to behave well.
Use the infinitive and omit que if there is no change of subject.
El niño quiere comportarse bien. The boy wants to behave well.
Ojalá also expresses hope. It has only one form and cannot be conjugated. Ojalá can be used with or without que. Either way, it is used with the subjunctive.
Ojalá no llueva mañana. Ojalá que tengamos tiempo. I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow. I hope we’ll have time.
Verbs of Hope
desearesperarquerer + que + different subject + subjunctive
verb of influence + que + different subject + subjunctive
subjunctiveindicative
TRANSPARENCY 11Gramática, Unidad 4, Lección 1
You already know how to use the subjunctive after verbs that express hope. You also use the subjunctive after verbs used to influence the actions of others by, for example, suggesting or prohibiting an action.
Here’s how: Use the indicative for the verb of influence and the subjunctive for the second verb.
Sugiero que llegues temprano. I suggest that you arrive early.
The indicative is used for the first verb because it states a fact. The subjunctive is used for the second verb because it expresses a possibility rather than a fact, and because there is a change of subject.
You need to use the subjunctive after expressions of doubt because they suggest that the second verb may be untrue.
Here’s how:
Marta no está segura de que tengamos tiempo para ver la película.Marta is not sure that we have time to see the movie.
Note that the word no can change the meaning of an expression and affect whether you need to use the subjunctive or indicative form of the second verb.
Dudamos que Jorge conozca al músico. No dudamos que él tiene talento.We doubt that Jorge knows the musician. We do not doubt that he has talent.
Expressions of Doubt
dudar es imposible no es cierto no estar de acuerdo con
es dudoso es improbable no es verdad no estar seguro(a) de
expression of doubt + que + different subject + subjunctive
a fin de que antes (de) que en caso (de) que sin que
a menos que con tal (de) que para que
TRANSPARENCY 10Gramática, Unidad 5, Lección 1
Some conjunctions must be followed by a subjunctive verb form. How do you know which ones?
Here’s how: Always use the subjunctive after the following conjunctions because they express doubt or uncertainty about whether or notthe events in the second part of the sentence will happen.
No gastes tus ahorros a menos que sea necesario.Don’t spend your savings unless it’s necessary.
Voy a imprimir las fotos para que todos las miren.I’m going to print the photos so that everyone can look at them.
When the conjunctions above are used without que, the verb that follows must be in the infinitive form.
Tendrás que comer antes de que salgas. You’ll have to eat before you leave.
Tendrás que comer antes de salir.You’ll have to eat before leaving.
To say what someone would or wouldn’t do, use the conditional tense.
Here’s how: All verbs, whether they end in -ar, -er, or -ir, have the same endings in the conditional. Add the endings directly to the infinitive of regular verbs.
Angélica discutiría la situación y resolvería el problema con nuestra ayuda.Angélica would discuss the situation and she would resolve the problem with our help.
Verbs that are irregular in the future tense have the same irregular stem in the conditional. You still use the regular conditional endings.
Yo pondría el escáner aquí. Así lo tendríamos al lado de la computadora.I would put the scanner here. That way we would have it next to the computer.
When the past participle is used as an adjective, be sure the ending agrees in number and gender with the noun it describes.
El horno está arreglado. Las tapas están pedidas.The oven is fixed. The appetizers are ordered.
Irregular Past Participles
La ducha no funciona. Está rota. Todas las mesas están puestas.The shower is not working. It’s broken. All the tables are set.
Infinitive Past Participle Infinitive Past Participle
abrir abierto ir idodecir dicho morir muerto descubrir descubierto poner puestoescribir escrito resolver resueltofreír frito romper rotohacer hecho ver vistoimprimir impreso volver vuelto
To talk about events that have already happened (or not happened), use the present perfect tense.
Here’s how: Conjugate the verb haber in the present tense and add the past participle of the main verb. In the present perfect, the past participle always ends in -o.
Ella ya ha ido de tapas. Rosa nunca ha robado nada.She has already gone out to eat. Rosa has never stolen anything.
When you use object or reflexive pronouns with the present perfect, you put them before the conjugated form of haber.
¿Alberto te ha comprado el billete? Sí, me lo ha comprado.Has Alberto bought you the ticket? Yes, he has bought it for me.
There is a written accent over the i in the past participle of -er and -ir verbs with a stem that ends in a, e, or o.
traer traído oír oído leer leído
No he leído la nueva novela de Pérez Reverte. I have not read the new novel by Pérez Reverte.
Use the future perfect tense to express what will have happened by a certain time in the future.
Here’s how: Conjugate the verb haber in the future tense and add the past participle of the main verb. In the future perfect, the past participle always ends in -o.
El lunes, habremos visto el famoso cuadro de El Greco. On Monday, we will have seen El Greco’s famous painting.The future perfect is often used with para or dentro de + a time reference.
Para entonces Elena habrá explorado la ciudad. By then Elena will have explored the city.
Dentro de tres meses habré aprendido mucho. Within three months I will have learned a lot.
You also use the future perfect tense to speculate about something that may have happened in the past.
¿Cómo se habrá roto el brazo Miguel? No sé. Se habrá caído. How could Miguel have broken his arm? I don’t know. He must have
You already know when to use the present subjunctive. To express the same ideas in the past, use the imperfect subjunctive. How do you use it?
Here’s how: Expressions of hope, doubt, emotion, or opinion in the past are followed by verbs in the imperfect subjunctive.
To form the imperfect subjunctive, remove the -ron ending of the ustedes/ellos(as) preterite form and add the imperfect subjunctive endings.
The endings are the same for all -ar, -er, and -ir verbs. Note the accent mark in the nosotros(as) form, placed on the vowel immediately before the ending.
El profesor de música quería que nosotros tomáramos parte en el coro.The music teacher wanted us to take part in the choir.
Yo dudaba que alguien supiera la respuesta correcta.I doubted that anyone would know the correct answer.
In Spanish, the perfect tenses always use a form of the verb haber with the past participle of the main verb. When the subjunctive is required, you must use the subjunctive form of haber.
Here’s how: Use the present perfect subjunctive after averb in the present tense. You form it with the present subjunctive of haber plus the past participle of the main verb.
Espero que tú hayas decidido redactar el anuario este año. I hope that you have decided to edit the yearbook this year.
Use the past perfect subjunctive after a verb in the past tense. You form it with the imperfect subjunctive of haber plus the past participle of the main verb.
Paco dudaba que hubiéramos trabajado de salvavidas el verano pasado.Paco doubted that we had worked as lifeguards last summer.
haya hayamos hayas hayáis + past participle haya hayan
hubiera hubiéramos hubieras hubierais + past participle hubiera hubieran
A si clause is a hypothesis about what will happen or what would happen in particular circumstances. The verb in the si clause can be in the simple present or the imperfect subjunctive form.
Here’s how:
To predict the result of a likely event, use the simple present in the si clause and the future tense in the main clause to express the outcome.
Si dejamos de comer comida chatarra, perderemos peso.If we stop eating junk food, we will lose weight.
To express how things would be if circumstances were different, use the imperfect subjunctive in the si clause and the conditional in the main clause.
Si Ana cantara en el coro, no tendría tiempo para redactar el anuario.If Ana were to sing in the chorus, she would not have time to edit the yearbook.
In both cases above, the order of clauses can be reversed.
Perderemos peso si dejamos de comer comida chatarra.
Ana no tendría tiempo para redactar el anuario si cantara en el coro.
The subjunctive form used depends on the indicative tense used in the main clause. How do you know what form of the subjunctive to use?
Here’s how: You use the present subjunctive or present perfect subjunctive after the following indicative tenses.
You use the imperfect subjunctive or the past perfect subjunctive after the following indicative tenses.
Depending on what you want to express, ojalá can be used with any subjunctive form.
Ojalá (que) sigas la carrera de derecho. I hope you pursue a career in law.
Ojalá (que) hubieras estudiado ingeniería.I wish you had studied engineering.
simple present Es bueno que hayas decidido. present progressive Está prohibiendo que salgas. future Será mejor que me llames. present perfect He sugerido que trabajes más.
preterite Prohibió que saliera. imperfect Era bueno que hubiera decidido. *past progressive Estaba prohibiendo que salieras. conditional Preferiría que escribieras más. past perfect Había sugerido que salieras.
You already know how to form the present progressive to emphasize that a present action is in progress.To say that an action was in progress, use the past progressive.
Here’s how:
The most common form of the past progressive is the imperfect of estar plus the present participle of the main verb. In this form, it often expresses an action that was interrupted.
¿Qué estabas haciendo cuando te llamé ayer?What were you doing when I called yesterday?
Estaba escribiendo un cuento y escuchando música.I was writing a short story and listening to music.
To emphasize that an action continued for a period of time and then came to an end, use the preterite of estar plus the present participle of the main verb.
Estuvimos hablando toda la tarde. We were talking all afternoon.
Use a preterite form of the verbs continuar, seguir, or quedarse with the present participle to emphasize the continuation or start of an ongoing action.
Cuando mi hermana se acostó, me quedé escribiendo mi autobiografía.When my sister went to bed, I kept on (went back to) writing my autobiography.
After some conjunctions the subjunctive is always required; after others, the indicative may be used. How do you know what verb form to use?
Here’s how: The subjunctive is always used after the following conjunctions.
Vamos a reunirnos en caso de que alguien tenga preguntas.We are going to meet in case anyone has questions.
The following conjunctions can be used with the indicative or the subjunctive.
You use the indicative to say that the outcome definitely occurred in the past. You use the subjunctive to say that the outcome may occur in the future.
Leí hasta que terminé el cuento. Trabajaré hasta que termine el poema. I read until I finished the story. I will work until I complete the poem.
The conjunction aunque is used with the indicative when followed by a known fact, but with the subjunctive when it is not known if the information presented is true.
Fact: Aunque es tarde, salimos ahora. Even though it is late, we are leaving now.
Uncertain: Aunque esté lejos, vamos a pie. Even if it may be far, we are going on foot.
Unintentional occurrences are expressed in a way that is impersonal, suggesting that no one is responsible for the outcome.
Here’s how: The verb is expressed with the impersonal pronoun se and agrees with the subject. An indirect object pronoun indicates the person to whom the action occurred.
Se me olvidaron las entradas al teatro.I forgot the theater tickets.
El tiempo se te acaba.Your time is running out.
To clarify or emphasize the indirect object pronoun reference, use a + the person (noun or pronoun).
A Colón se le ocurrió buscar una nueva ruta al Oriente.It occurred to Columbus to look for a new route to the East.
A mí se me cayó el vaso, pero a José se le cayeron los platos.I dropped the glass, but José dropped the plates.
The subjunctive expresses ideas whose certainty may not be known.
Here’s how: Use the subjunctive when there is a change of subject after verbs that express hope, doubt, influence, or emotion.
Espero que él se dé cuenta del error. Es dudoso que nosotras podamos venir. Recomendó que Ana escribiera dramas. Me alegro de que los actores sean tan buenos.
Also use the subjunctive to talk about what is unknown or indefinite.
Buscamos actores que conozcan el drama.
Some conjunctions are always followed by the subjunctive.
Lee el libro antes de que veas la película. Les enseño para que sepan todo.
With conjunctions of time, use the subjunctive if the action may occur in the future. Me quedaré hasta que termine la función. Vete tan pronto como Cristina llegue.
Remember that aunque is followed by the subjunctive when it refers to something whose outcome is not known.