¡Hola, amigos y amigas! Today, we're going to dive into one of the more challenging aspects of Spanish grammar: the Imperfect Subjunctive. If you've ever found yourself scratching your head over sentences that almost seem to exist in a parallel universe of possibilities, wishes, or hypotheticals, then you're in the right place. Let's demystify this tense together with some practical examples that you can use in everyday conversations. ¡Vamos allá!

 

Understanding the Imperfect Subjunctive

 

When to Use It

 

Expressing Wishes or Desires:

• Example: "Quería que vinieras a la fiesta." (I wanted you to come to the party.)

• Example: "Ojalá que tuviera un coche nuevo." (I wish I had a new car.)

 

Hypothetical Situations:

• Example: "Si tuviera dinero, viajaría por el mundo." (If I had money, I would travel the world.)

• Example: "Haría la tarea si tuviera tiempo." (I would do the homework if I had time.)

 

Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty:

• Example: "Dudaba que él fuera el mejor candidato." (I doubted that he was the best candidate.)

• Example: "No creía que lloviera mañana." (I didn’t believe it would rain tomorrow.)

 

How to Form It

 

The imperfect subjunctive is formed by taking the third-person plural form of the preterite tense, dropping the “-ron” ending, and adding the imperfect subjunctive endings.

 

For example, the verb "hablar" (to speak):

 

• Preterite third-person plural: hablaron
• Drop “-ron”: habla-
• Add imperfect subjunctive endings: hablara, hablaras, hablara, habláramos, hablarais, hablaran

 

Regular Verbs

 

AR verbs (e.g., hablar - to speak):

• Example: "Si habláramos más claro, nos entenderíamos mejor." (If we spoke more clearly, we would understand each other better.)

 

ER verbs (e.g., comer - to eat):

• Example: "Si comiera menos dulces, sería más saludable." (If I ate fewer sweets, I would be healthier.)

 

IR verbs (e.g., vivir - to live):

• Example: "Si vivieras aquí, nos veríamos a menudo." (If you lived here, we would see each other often.)

 

Irregular Verbs

 

Some verbs have irregular stems in the imperfect subjunctive. For example, "tener" becomes "tuviera," "poder" becomes "pudiera," and "ser" becomes "fuera."

 

• Example (tener): "Si tuviera más tiempo, aprendería a tocar el piano." (If I had more time, I would learn to play the piano.)

• Example (poder): "Si pudiera volar, visitaría todos los países del mundo." (If I could fly, I would visit all the countries in the world.)

• Example (ser): "Sería genial si fueras a la universidad conmigo." (It would be great if you went to college with me.)