The Spanish present subjunctive: the forms, and where you hear them
This lesson removes the fear by focusing on one thing only: building the present subjunctive forms correctly. The subjunctive is not a tense, it does not place an event in time, and you should not hunt for a one-to-one equivalent in your native language. Here you learn a reliable recipe, and the next lessons cover what triggers it.
The rule
In Spanish, the subjunctive is not a tense. It does not tell you when something happens. It is a mood, and you choose it mainly because of what comes before it in the sentence, such as an expression of desire, doubt, emotion, or possibility. The next lessons cover those triggers. This lesson is mechanical: you learn how to build the present subjunctive forms.
The most reliable recipe starts from the “yo” form of the present indicative. Take the “yo” form, remove the final -o, then add endings. For -ar verbs, you add endings with e. For -er and -ir verbs, you add endings with a. This “opposite vowel” pattern is the key: once you know the endings, you can produce the whole paradigm quickly.
At a glance
Present subjunctive endings
| persona | -ar | -er | -ir |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | -e | -a | -a |
| tú | -es | -as | -as |
| él/ella/usted | -e | -a | -a |
| nosotros/nosotras | -emos | -amos | -amos |
| vosotros/vosotras | -éis | -áis | -áis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | -en | -an | -an |
Heard in real Spanish
Native speakers on YouTube, in videos about something other than grammar. The notion is in pink. Each clip starts a second before the line.
Para que la cebolla esté bien frita.
So that the onion is well fried.
Croquetas de Pollo Caseras [Las mejores Del MUNDO 🌎! Receta de abuela] by Cocina con la Abuela · Watch on YouTube
No hay que confundir que sea característico con que sea exclusivo.
You shouldn't confuse what is characteristic with what is exclusive.
Cómo reconocer acentos de LATINOAMÉRICA @Urbanroosters by Linguriosa · Watch on YouTube
Examples
- Espero que María hable más despacio.I hope María speaks more slowly.Regular -ar verb: habl- + e endings.
- Quiero que tú comas conmigo hoy.I want you to eat with me today.Regular -er verb: com- + a endings.
- Es posible que ellos vivan cerca de aquí.It’s possible they live near here.Regular -ir verb: viv- + a endings.
What to remember
- The subjunctive is a mood, not a tense.
- Recipe: take the present “yo” form, drop -o, then add the opposite-vowel endings.
- The “yo” stem carries key irregularities: tenga, salga, conozca, diga, haga.
- -ir verbs also change in “nosotros” and “vosotros”: durmamos, pidamos.
- Six verbs are fully irregular: sea, esté, vaya, haya, sepa, dé.
Check yourself
1 Fill the blank with the correct present subjunctive form.
Espero que tú ___ más despacio.
- hablas
- hables
- hablaste
- hablar
Show the answer
hables. “hablar” is an -ar verb: habl- + -es gives “hables”.
2 Choose the present subjunctive form for “yo”.
- tengo
- tenga
- tenía
- tendré
Show the answer
tenga. Start from “tengo”, drop -o, add -a: “tenga”.
Take the full lesson
“The subjunctive: the forms” in the Streal course: the whole explanation, the quiz, and every YouTube extract picked for it. Free to start, nothing to install. The full lesson goes on with the rest of the explanation and more examples, the common mistakes and the practice quiz.