The present subjunctive is a mood used in dependent clauses to express wishes, emotions, doubts, and other subjective attitudes. For regular -ar verbs, the endings are built on the "opposite vowel" principle: instead of the characteristic -a- of the indicative, the subjunctive uses -e-.
Formation
To build the present subjunctive of a regular -ar verb, follow these steps:
- Take the yo form of the present indicative (for example, hablo).
- Drop the final -o.
- Add the subjunctive endings: -e, -es, -e, -emos, -en.
This "yo-drop" method is important because it preserves any irregularity that appears in the yo form of the indicative. For regular verbs, though, the result is perfectly predictable.
Endings for -ar Verbs
| Subject | Ending |
|---|---|
| yo | -e |
| tú | -es |
| él / ella / usted | -e |
| nosotros | -emos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | -en |
Notice that Latin American Spanish does not use vosotros, so the plural "you" form is always ustedes with the ending -en.
Hablar (to speak)
| Subject | Present Subjunctive |
|---|---|
| yo | hable |
| tú | hables |
| él / ella / usted | hable |
| nosotros | hablemos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | hablen |
Espero que hables con tu hermana pronto.
I hope you speak with your sister soon.
Trabajar (to work)
| Subject | Present Subjunctive |
|---|---|
| yo | trabaje |
| tú | trabajes |
| él / ella / usted | trabaje |
| nosotros | trabajemos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | trabajen |
Es importante que trabajes con cuidado.
It's important that you work carefully.
Dudo que ellos trabajen los domingos.
I doubt that they work on Sundays.
Estudiar (to study)
| Subject | Present Subjunctive |
|---|---|
| yo | estudie |
| tú | estudies |
| él / ella / usted | estudie |
| nosotros | estudiemos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | estudien |
Mis padres quieren que yo estudie medicina.
My parents want me to study medicine.
Ojalá que estudiemos juntos esta noche.
I hope we study together tonight.
The "Opposite Vowel" Principle
A helpful shortcut for remembering subjunctive endings is the idea of the opposite vowel. In the present indicative, -ar verbs have -a- in almost every ending (hablas, habla, hablamos, hablan). In the subjunctive, that -a- flips to -e-, giving you hables, hable, hablemos, hablen.
When You'll Use It
The present subjunctive almost always appears in a dependent clause introduced by que, after a main clause that expresses a wish, doubt, emotion, recommendation, or impersonal judgment. You'll study these triggers in detail on later pages, but here are a few previews.
Es necesario que llegues a tiempo.
It's necessary that you arrive on time.
Once you feel comfortable with -ar verbs, move on to regular -er and -ir verbs, which use the mirror-image set of endings.
Related Topics
- Regular -er and -ir VerbsB1 — Form the present subjunctive of regular -er and -ir verbs with the endings -a, -as, -a, -amos, -an.
- Stem ChangesB1 — Learn how stem-changing verbs behave in the present subjunctive, including the special rules for -ir verbs.
- Subjunctive Triggers OverviewB1 — An overview of the WEIRDO categories that introduce the subjunctive in Spanish dependent clauses.