1. Subjuntivo
Present Subjunctive, Imperfect Subjunctive,
Present Perfect Subjunctive, and Pluperfect
Subjunctive

2. When to Use the Subjunctive
 Subjunctive is used when the situation
is not factual, but rather when the
action is subjective or hypothetical.
 In Spanish, the speaker simply needs
to recognize when the action is real
and objective (He brings me the towel)
and when it is subjective (I hope that
he brings me the towel) to know which
endings to use.

3. When to Use Subjunctive
 If the answer to the following two
questions is yes, the subjunctive mood
should be used:
1. Is there a possibility that this action
has not occurred or is not now
occurring?
2. Is the action or event contained in a
dependent clause?

4. When to Use Subjunctive
 In Spanish, just as in English, there
are 3 grammatical moods:
1. The Imperative (Commands)
2. The Indicative (Describes real or
objective actions or events)
3. The Subjunctive (Describes
subjective or hypothetical actions or
events)

5. When to Use Subjunctive
 In English, very few structural changes
are employed to signify a change in
mood.
 In Spanish, mood changes
necessitate different verb endings.
 Correctly using the subjunctive is one
of the most non-intuitive aspects of
Spanish for English-speaking
students.

6. When to Use Subjunctive
WEIRDO!

7. When to Use Subjuctive
 WEIRDO
 W – wishes, hopes, and desires
 E – emotions
 I – impersonal expressions
 R – requests
 D – doubts
 O – opinions

8. Wishes, Hopes, and Desires
 When the verb in the independent
clause is a verb such as desear (to
wish), querer (to want), esperar (to
hope), or preferir (to prefer), the
dependent clause uses the
subjunctive.
 Example: I prefer that you not watch
that show.
 Prefiero que no veas ese programa.

9. Emotions
 When verbs such as alegrarse (to be
happy), sorprenderse (to surprise),
sentir (to regret), or temer (to fear),
are used in the independent clause,
the subjunctive is used in the
dependent clause.
 Example: I am afraid that he won’t
return on time.
 Temo que no vuelva a tiempo.

10. Impersonal Expressions
 Use subjunctive after the following
conjunctions, if doubt or anticipation is
implied:
 A menos que – unless
 A pesar de que – in spite of
 Antes de que – before
 Aunque - although

11. Impersonal Expressions
 Después de que – after
 En caso de que – in case
 En cuanto – as soon as
 Hasta que – until
 Para que – so that

12. Requests
 When using verbs such as aconsejar
(to advise), pedir (to ask for), or
recomendar (to recommend) in the
independent clause, use the
subjunctive in the dependent clause.
 Example: They advised me to leave.
 Me aconsejaron que saliera.

13. Doubts
 When doubt is expressed by verbs in
the independent clause such as dudar
(to doubt), no creer (to disbelieve),
or negar (to deny), then use the
subjunctive in the dependent clause.
 Example: They don’t believe I know.
 No creen que sepa.
 Example: We deny that it is the truth.
 Negamos que sea la verdad.

14. Opinion
 Use subjunctive in the dependent
clause after the following
expressions, provided that
doubt, uncertainty, or emotion is
suggested or implied:
 Quizás, acaso, tal vez – perhaps
 Es bueno – It is good
 Es difícil – It is hard

15. Opinion
 Es dudoso – It is doubtful
 Es importante – It is important
 Es imposible – It is impossible
 Es incierto – It is uncertain
 Es malo – It is bad
 Es mejor – It is better
 Es necesario – It is necessary
 Es posible – It is possible

16. Opinion
 Es una lástima – It is a pity
 Example: Perhaps she is visiting this
fall.
 Quizás visite este otoño.
 Example: It is good that she knows.
 Es bueno que ella sepa.

17. Present Subjunctive
 While the present indicative mood is
used to describe an actual
situation, the present subjunctive
mood expresses
uncertainty, feelings, desires, and
hypothetical situations.
 To form the present subjunctive, drop
the –o from the first person singular
form of the present indicative and add
the subjunctive endings.

18. Present Subjunctive
 In the subjunctive, -ar verbs take –e
and –er/-ir verbs take –a.
 -ar endings: -e, -es, -e, -emos, -en
 -er/-ir endings: -a, -as, -a, -amos, -an
 Example: I will go to the movies when
I have money.
 Iré al cine cuando tenga dinero.

19. Irregulars
 There are only 6 irregular verbs total
in the subjunctive tense.
 Dar – to give
 Dé Demos
 Des
 Dé Den

20. Irregulars
 Estar – to be (temporary)
 Esté Estemos
 Estés
 Esté Estén
 Haber – to have (auxiliary)
 Haya Hayamos
 Hayas
 Haya Hayan

21. Irregulars
 Ir – to go
 Vaya Vayamos
 Vayas
 Vaya Vayan
 Saber – to know (facts/information)
 Sepa Sepamos
 Sepas
 Sepa Sepan

22. Irregulars
 Ser – to be (permanent)
 Sea Seamos
 Seas
 Sea Sean

23. Imperfect Subjunctive
 The imperfect or past subjunctive is
used in situations where the verb in
the independent clause is in the past
or conditional tense.
 This tense is used to express
something that might have been or
would have been.

24. Imperfect Subjunctive
 The imperfect subjunctive tense is
formed by:
1. Taking the verb’s third person plural
(ellos) form of the preterite tense (-ar
verb ending is –aron and –er/-ir verb
ending is –ieron),
2. Dropping the –ron from the end, and
3. Adding the endings on the next slide.

25. Imperfect Subjunctive
 The following are the endings for all
–ar, -er, and –ir verbs:
 -ra, -ras, -ra, -ramos, -ran
 Example: I doubted that he killed the
cat.
 Dudaba que matara el gato.

26. Imperfect Subjunctive
 There are no irregularities in the
imperfect subjunctive tense because
any irregularities in conjugation will
already be reflected in the third person
plural preterite form.
 The present subjunctive expresses the
same set of situations as the present
subjunctive (WEIRDO) in the past.

27. Present Perfect Subjunctive
 The present perfect subjunctive is
used to express the English term “may
have”.
 It is formed by having the subjunctive
conjugation of the verb Haber (to have
– auxiliary) together with the past
participle.

28. Present Perfect Subjunctive
 Haber – to have (auxiliary)
 Haya Hayamos
 Hayas
 Haya Hayan

29. Present Perfect Subjunctive
 Example: We may have thought that
we used to know all the answers.
 Hayamos pensado que sabíamos
todas las contestas.

30. Pluperfect Subjunctive
 The pluperfect (or past perfect)
subjunctive is used to express the
English “might have”.
 It is formed by having the imperfect
subjunctive conjugation of Haber (to
have – auxiliary) together with the past
participle.

31. Pluperfect Subjunctive
 Haber – to have (auxiliary)
 Hubiera Hubiéramos
 Hubieras
 Hubiera Hubieran

32. Pluperfect Subjunctive
 Example: It might have rained if the
wind changed direction.
 Hubiera llovido si el viento cambiaría
dirección.

33. When to Use Subjunctive
WEIRDO!

34. Use Subjunctive Correctly…or I’ll
EAT A PLANET!!!