One of the most important grammar topics to master if you want to sound fluent in Spanish is the present subjunctive. Using this form correctly can make you sound like a native speaker, as it allows you to express ideas that go beyond simple facts. With the subjunctive, you can talk about wishes, doubts, emotions and much more, and you can convey these ideas in the correct manner.
While the present subjunctive Spanish learners study can seem tricky at first, especially because the terms don’t always translate directly into English, learning when and how to use the Spanish subjunctive through patterns and triggers is possible. So, let’s take a look at the main things you should know.
The present subjunctive in Spanish is a verb mood used to express subjective ideas rather than objective facts. Whereas the indicative mood states what is happening in reality, the subjunctive expresses what is uncertain, desired, imagined or influenced by emotion.
Let’s compare these two sentences, to see the difference.
The first sentence uses an indicative verb, which states a fact. The second sentence uses a subjunctive verb, which states a desire. The key difference is that the subjunctive reflects the speaker’s perspective and viewpoint, rather than any confirmed reality.
The present subjunctive is used in situations where the speaker expresses something subjective rather than factual, and a helpful way to remember the main uses is the acronym WEIRDO. It stands for the following uses, which are the most common triggers for using the present subjunctive in Spanish.
The present subjunctive is used when expressing what a subject wants or hopes will happen. These sentences often include “wishing” verbs like “querer” (“to want”) or “esperar” (“to hope”), which are joined with other verbs. Here are two examples of this use of the present subjunctive in Spanish.
It can also be right to use the subjunctive when the main clause expresses a feeling or emotional reaction toward an action. Here, the focus is not on whether something is true, but on how the speaker feels about it, as seen here.
Impersonal expressions, such as “es importante” (“it’s important”), “es necesario” (“it’s necessary”) or “es posible” (“it’s possible”), don’t refer to a specific person, but instead introduce opinions, necessity or possibility. In these situations, the subjunctive is used.
The subjunctive can be used when giving advice, making suggestions or requesting something indirectly. These sentences often include verbs like “recomendar” (“to recommend”), “pedir” (“to ask”) or “decir” (“to say”), so they’re easy to spot.
When expressing doubt, denial or uncertainty, the subjunctive is required, given that these structures make clear that the speaker is not sure if something is true.
The Spanish expression “ojalá” is a special one, used to convey strong wishes or hopes and often about uncertain or unlikely situations. By rule it is always followed by the subjunctive.
Now that we know when to use the present subjunctive in Spanish, let’s take a look at how Spanish subjunctive conjugation works in practice. The good news is that forming the present subjunctive often follows a regular pattern, which we’ll look at below along with irregular situations.
For regular verbs, the Spanish subjunctive endings are predictable. To create the present subjunctive, you start with the “yo” form of the present indicative. Then you remove the “-o” at the end to create the stem. Then, simply add the opposite set of endings to the regular present indicative endings. For example, regular verbs that end in “-ar” will take the “-er” / “-ir” endings, while verbs that end in “-er” or “-ir” will take the “-ar” endings in the Spanish present subjunctive.
| Subject | -ar verbs (hablar / to speak) | -er verbs (comer / to eat) | -ir verbs (vivir / to live) |
| yo | hable | coma | viva |
| tú | hables | comas | vivas |
| él / ella/ usted | hable | coma | viva |
| nosotros | hablemos | comamos | vivamos |
| vosotros | habléis | comáis | viváis |
| ellos / ustedes | hablen | coman | vivan |
Some verbs are irregular because their “yo” form in the present indicative is irregular. This irregularity carries over into the present subjunctive.
For example:
There are also a few highly irregular verbs that are worth memorising, especially because they are commonly used. Here are four of them, namely “ser”, “estar”, “ir” and “haber”.
Ser / To be
| Subject | Conjugation |
| yo | sea |
| tú | seas |
| él / ella/ usted | sea |
| nosotros | seamos |
| vosotros | seáis |
| ellos / ustedes | sean |
Estar / To be
| Subject | Conjugation |
| yo | esté |
| tú | estés |
| él / ella/ usted | esté |
| nosotros | estemos |
| vosotros | estéis |
| ellos / ustedes | estén |
Ir / To go
| Subject | Conjugation |
| yo | vaya |
| tú | vayas |
| él / ella/ usted | vaya |
| nosotros | vayamos |
| vosotros | vayáis |
| ellos / ustedes | vayan |
Haber / To have
| Subject | Conjugation |
| yo | haya |
| tú | hayas |
| él / ella/ usted | haya |
| nosotros | hayamos |
| vosotros | hayáis |
| ellos / ustedes | hayan |
When it comes to stem-changing verbs, these follow similar patterns to the present indicative but with a slight difference. Here, the stem changes in most forms, although with the “nosotros” and “vosotros” forms the change is often smaller. Here are the most common types of stem changes.
e → ie (pensar / to think)
| Subject | Conjugation |
| yo | piense |
| tú | pienses |
| él / ella/ usted | piense |
| nosotros | pensemos |
| vosotros | penséis |
| ellos / ustedes | piensen |
o → ue (dormir / to sleep)
| Subject | Conjugation |
| yo | duerma |
| tú | duermas |
| él / ella/ usted | duerma |
| nosotros | durmamos |
| vosotros | durmáis |
| ellos / ustedes | duerman |
e → i (pedir / to ask for)
| Subject | Conjugation |
| yo | pida |
| tú | pidas |
| él / ella/ usted | pida |
| nosotros | pidamos |
| vosotros | pidáis |
| ellos / ustedes | pidan |
Some verbs undergo spelling changes in the subjunctive to maintain correct pronunciation, especially with the letters “c”, “g” and “z”. Let’s take a look at some of these most common changes.
c → qu (buscar / to look for)
| Subject | Conjugation |
| yo | busque |
| tú | busques |
| él / ella/ usted | busque |
| nosotros | busquemos |
| vosotros | busquéis |
| ellos / ustedes | busquen |
g → gu (llegar / to arrive)
| Subject | Conjugation |
| yo | llegue |
| tú | llegues |
| él / ella/ usted | llegue |
| nosotros | lleguemos |
| vosotros | lleguéis |
| ellos / ustedes | lleguen |
z → c (empezar / to start)
| Subject | Conjugation |
| yo | empiece |
| tú | empieces |
| él / ella/ usted | empiece |
| nosotros | empecemos |
| vosotros | empecéis |
| ellos / ustedes | empiecen |
Certain verbs require accents in the subjunctive to preserve the correct stress or pronunciation. These are often verbs with vowel combinations, and the accent ensures that the verb is pronounced correctly and follows standard Spanish stress rules.
Enviar / To send
| Subject | Conjugation |
| yo | envíe |
| tú | envíes |
| él / ella/ usted | envíe |
| nosotros | enviemos |
| vosotros | enviéis |
| ellos / ustedes | envíen |
Continuar / To continue
| Subject | Conjugation |
| yo | continúe |
| tú | continúes |
| él / ella/ usted | continúe |
| nosotros | continuemos |
| vosotros | continuéis |
| ellos / ustedes | continúen |
Let’s now look at some more examples of the Spanish present subjunctive in use, for some of the most common or tricky verbs that you might come across.
In order to master the present subjunctive in Spanish, the best way is through practice. Over time, it’ll become much clearer as to when and how to use it, and the fact it uses the “opposite” endings will make verbs conjugated in the subjunctive quickly stand out. So, next time you’re watching a movie in Spanish or listening to a podcast in Spanish, listen out for the use of the subjunctive and try to identify the verb and form being used.
If you want to truly accelerate your understanding of the Spanish subjunctive conjugation and endings, you can take classes with IH Madrid. You can choose between online Spanish courses or in-person Spanish courses in Madrid, depending on which suits your goals and schedule better. The online classes are taught live by experienced teachers, giving you the chance to ask questions, interact and practise speaking in real time rather than relying on pre-recorded content. If you prefer learning face-to-face, the classes in Madrid take place in the heart of the city centre, where you can immediately apply what you learn in everyday situations. Before long, you’ll, ojalá, be a master of the subjunctive!
