The Imperfect Subjunctive — Formation and Use
The Imperfect Subjunctive: Formation and Use
A lesson of Es B2 — Upper Intermediate, in Advanced Subjunctive, about 15 minutes.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to form the imperfect subjunctive for any verb, recognize its two written forms (-ra and -se), and use it correctly in wishes, doubts, and hypothetical clauses set in past or conditional time.
Introduction
You already know the present subjunctive for expressing wishes, emotions, and doubt in the present tense: Quiero que vengas ahora. But what happens when the main verb is in the past — Quería que...? That is where the imperfect subjunctive steps in. It is the gateway to the most sophisticated structures in Spanish, including conditional sentences, polite requests, and literary narrative. Mastering it is what separates a B1 speaker from a true B2 speaker.
Core Concept
How to Form the Imperfect Subjunctive
The imperfect subjunctive is built from the third-person plural preterite (ellos form). Drop the -ron and add the appropriate ending. There are two full sets of endings (-ra and -se) that are interchangeable in most contexts, though -ra is far more common in speech.
Step 1: Take the ellos preterite: hablaron, comieron, vivieron, tuvieron, fueran
Step 2: Remove -ron → habla-, comie-, vivie-, tuvie-, fue-
Step 3: Add endings:
| Pronoun | -ra ending | -se ending |
|---|---|---|
| yo | hablara | hablase |
| tú | hablaras | hablases |
| él/ella/Ud. | hablara | hablase |
| nosotros | habláramos | hablásemos |
| vosotros | hablarais | hablaséis |
| ellos/Uds. | hablaran | hablasen |
Because the stem comes from the preterite, all stem-changing and irregular verbs carry their irregularities automatically:
| Infinitive | Ellos preterite | Yo imperfect subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
| tener | tuvieron | tuviera |
| poder | pudieron | pudiera |