This is the one-page reference for the imperfect subjunctive in peninsular Spanish. It collects every form (both -ra and -se variants, regular and irregular), every major use (past triggers, counterfactual si-clauses, como si, polite requests, ojalá-wishes), and the contrasts that learners most often need at B2. Use it as a desk reference; the dedicated pages linked at the bottom go deeper into each use.
How the imperfect subjunctive is built
The rule is one of the cleanest in all of Spanish: take the third-person plural preterite, drop the final -ron, add the imperfect subjunctive endings. That's it. Every irregularity of the preterite is automatically inherited by the imperfect subjunctive — there is no separate set of irregular stems to memorise.
| Verb | 3rd-plural preterite | Stem | -ra form (yo) | -se form (yo) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hablar | hablaron | habla- | hablara | hablase |
| comer | comieron | comie- | comiera | comiese |
| vivir | vivieron | vivie- | viviera | viviese |
| ser / ir | fueron | fue- | fuera | fuese |
| tener | tuvieron | tuvie- | tuviera | tuviese |
| poder | pudieron | pudie- | pudiera | pudiese |
| haber | hubieron | hubie- | hubiera | hubiese |
| hacer | hicieron | hicie- | hiciera | hiciese |
| decir | dijeron | dije- | dijera | dijese |
| querer | quisieron | quisie- | quisiera | quisiese |
| poner | pusieron | pusie- | pusiera | pusiese |
| venir | vinieron | vinie- | viniera | viniese |
| traer | trajeron | traje- | trajera | trajese |
| saber | supieron | supie- | supiera | supiese |
| dar | dieron | die- | diera | diese |
| ver | vieron | vie- | viera | viese |
| dormir | durmieron | durmie- | durmiera | durmiese |
| pedir | pidieron | pidie- | pidiera | pidiese |
| leer | leyeron | leye- | leyera | leyese |
| oír | oyeron | oye- | oyera | oyese |
| construir | construyeron | construye- | construyera | construyese |
Endings: -ra and -se, side by side
Both sets of endings are fully correct and fully interchangeable in modern peninsular Spanish. The -ra forms are very slightly more frequent in conversation; the -se forms feel a touch more literary but appear constantly in both speech and writing. Choose whichever sounds better in the sentence; mix them within a paragraph if you like.
Regular -ar verbs: hablar
| Person | -ra form | -se form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | hablara | hablase |
| tú | hablaras | hablases |
| él / ella / usted | hablara | hablase |
| nosotros / nosotras | habláramos | hablásemos |
| vosotros / vosotras | hablarais | hablaseis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | hablaran | hablasen |
Regular -er verbs: comer
| Person | -ra form | -se form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | comiera | comiese |
| tú | comieras | comieses |
| él / ella / usted | comiera | comiese |
| nosotros / nosotras | comiéramos | comiésemos |
| vosotros / vosotras | comierais | comieseis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | comieran | comiesen |
Regular -ir verbs: vivir
| Person | -ra form | -se form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | viviera | viviese |
| tú | vivieras | vivieses |
| él / ella / usted | viviera | viviese |
| nosotros / nosotras | viviéramos | viviésemos |
| vosotros / vosotras | vivierais | vivieseis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | vivieran | viviesen |
Notice the accent: only on the nosotros form, on the vowel before the -ramos or -semos. The vosotros forms (hablarais, comierais, vivierais; hablaseis, comieseis, vivieseis) carry no accent, even though they end in -ais or -eis. This is one of the most-missed accent rules in Spanish.
The key irregulars in full
The same six-row table works for every irregular verb. Here are four of the most common, in both -ra and -se forms.
Ser / ir (identical conjugation)
| Person | -ra form | -se form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | fuera | fuese |
| tú | fueras | fueses |
| él / ella / usted | fuera | fuese |
| nosotros / nosotras | fuéramos | fuésemos |
| vosotros / vosotras | fuerais | fueseis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | fueran | fuesen |
Tener
| Person | -ra form | -se form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | tuviera | tuviese |
| tú | tuvieras | tuvieses |
| él / ella / usted | tuviera | tuviese |
| nosotros / nosotras | tuviéramos | tuviésemos |
| vosotros / vosotras | tuvierais | tuvieseis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | tuvieran | tuviesen |
Haber (essential for the pluperfect subjunctive)
| Person | -ra form | -se form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | hubiera | hubiese |
| tú | hubieras | hubieses |
| él / ella / usted | hubiera | hubiese |
| nosotros / nosotras | hubiéramos | hubiésemos |
| vosotros / vosotras | hubierais | hubieseis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | hubieran | hubiesen |
Decir
| Person | -ra form | -se form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | dijera | dijese |
| tú | dijeras | dijeses |
| él / ella / usted | dijera | dijese |
| nosotros / nosotras | dijéramos | dijésemos |
| vosotros / vosotras | dijerais | dijeseis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | dijeran | dijesen |
Note that decir (and traer, conducir, traducir, producir) drops the -i- of the -ie- sequence after the j: it's dijeran, not *dijieran. This carries over from the preterite (dijeron, not *dijieron).
Use 1: past triggers (sequence of tenses)
When the main clause is in a past tense (preterite, imperfect, conditional, pluperfect), the subjunctive in the subordinate clause shifts from present to imperfect. This is mandatory in standard Spanish.
| Present trigger | Past trigger |
|---|---|
| Quiero que vengas. | Quería que vinieras. |
| Espero que llegues a tiempo. | Esperaba que llegaras a tiempo. |
| Dudo que sepa la verdad. | Dudaba que supiera la verdad. |
| Es importante que estudies. | Era importante que estudiaras. |
Mis padres querían que estudiara medicina, pero elegí filología.
My parents wanted me to study medicine, but I chose philology.
No me esperaba que dijera eso delante de todo el mundo.
I didn't expect him to say that in front of everyone.
Era natural que estuvierais cansados después de tantas horas de viaje.
It was natural that you guys were tired after so many hours of travel.
Use 2: counterfactual si-clauses (type 2)
The classic si + imperfect subjunctive + conditional structure expresses present-counterfactual conditions.
Si tuviera más tiempo libre, aprendería a tocar el piano.
If I had more free time, I'd learn to play the piano.
Si supieses lo que pienso, no me lo perdonarías.
If you knew what I think, you wouldn't forgive me.
Si fuéramos jóvenes otra vez, lo haríamos todo de manera distinta.
If we were young again, we'd do everything differently.
The conditional never appears in the si-clause — only the imperfect subjunctive does.
Use 3: como si (always)
Como si invariably takes the imperfect or pluperfect subjunctive; never the indicative, never the present subjunctive.
Habla del tema como si fuera un experto, y no lo es.
He talks about the topic as if he were an expert, and he isn't.
Me mira como si me conociera de toda la vida.
She looks at me as if she had known me her whole life.
Lo cuenta como si lo hubiera vivido él mismo.
He tells it as if he had lived it himself.
Use 4: polite requests with quisiera, debiera, pudiera
The imperfect subjunctive of querer, deber, poder functions as a polite softener, especially in formal contexts.
Quisiera reservar una habitación doble para el fin de semana.
I'd like to reserve a double room for the weekend.
Debierais llegar antes de las ocho si queréis aparcar cerca.
You guys should arrive before eight if you want to park close by.
Pudiera ser que estén atrapados en el atasco.
It could be that they're stuck in the traffic jam.
Use 5: ojalá + counterfactual wish
Ojalá + imperfect subjunctive expresses a wish about the present or future that is contrary to fact or considered very unlikely. Compare with ojalá + present subjunctive, which is a real, open wish.
| Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ojalá venga mañana. | I hope he comes tomorrow (real, possible). |
| Ojalá viniera mañana. | I wish he were coming tomorrow (counterfactual or doubtful). |
Ojalá tuviera más tiempo para verte.
I wish I had more time to see you.
Ojalá lloviera mañana, el campo lo necesita.
I wish it would rain tomorrow — the countryside needs it.
Ojalá fueseis capaces de poneros de acuerdo de una vez.
I wish you guys were capable of finally agreeing on something.
Use 6: the "literary" pluperfect (-ra only)
The -ra form alone has a literary archaism: it can replace the pluperfect indicative (había hablado → hablara) in journalistic and literary registers. This use is not available to the -se forms.
El presidente que dimitiera en 2018 ha vuelto a la política. (journalistic)
The president who had resigned in 2018 has returned to politics.
La novela que escribiera Cervantes sigue siendo la más leída en español. (literary)
The novel that Cervantes had written remains the most-read in Spanish.
This usage is restricted to relative clauses, mostly with verbs of saying and writing, and feels formal-bookish. Don't produce it in everyday speech — but recognise it when you read newspapers or older fiction.
Common Mistakes
❌ Quería que vengas a la fiesta.
Incorrect — the past trigger 'quería' requires the imperfect subjunctive in the subordinate clause.
✅ Quería que vinieras a la fiesta.
I wanted you to come to the party.
❌ Si tendría tiempo, viajaría más.
Incorrect — the conditional never appears after si; use the imperfect subjunctive.
✅ Si tuviera tiempo, viajaría más.
If I had time, I'd travel more.
❌ Habla como si sabe todo del tema.
Incorrect — como si never takes the indicative.
✅ Habla como si supiera todo del tema.
He talks as if he knew everything about the topic.
❌ Os pedí que vinierais, pero vosotros vinierais tarde.
Confusion: the second clause should be indicative (vinisteis), not subjunctive.
✅ Os pedí que vinierais, pero vinisteis tarde.
I asked you to come, but you arrived late.
❌ Quisiera que tú vienes con nosotros.
Incorrect — even with quisiera as the polite softener, the subordinate clause still requires the subjunctive.
✅ Quisiera que vinieras con nosotros.
I'd like you to come with us.
❌ Estábamos cantando como si éramos felices.
Incorrect — como si demands the imperfect subjunctive.
✅ Estábamos cantando como si fuéramos felices.
We were singing as if we were happy.
Quick decision guide
| Situation | Tense in subordinate clause |
|---|---|
| Past trigger + subjunctive | imperfect subjunctive |
| Si + counterfactual present | imperfect subjunctive (+ conditional in main) |
| Como si + simultaneous | imperfect subjunctive |
| Como si + prior | pluperfect subjunctive |
| Ojalá + counterfactual present/future | imperfect subjunctive |
| Ojalá + counterfactual past | pluperfect subjunctive |
| Polite request with querer/deber/poder | imperfect subjunctive (quisiera, debiera, pudiera) |
| Relative clause, literary indicative pluperfect | -ra form only |
Key takeaways
- The imperfect subjunctive is built from the 3rd-person plural preterite stem
- endings -ra/-se; every irregularity is inherited.
- Both -ra and -se forms are fully interchangeable in peninsular Spanish.
- The accent appears only on nosotros (habláramos, comiéramos, viviéramos); vosotros forms (hablarais, comierais, vivierais) carry no accent.
- Six main uses: past triggers, counterfactual si-clauses, como si, polite quisiera/debiera/pudiera, ojalá-wishes, and (only -ra) the literary indicative pluperfect.
- If you can produce the preterite, you can produce the imperfect subjunctive — there is nothing extra to memorise.
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Start learning Spanish→Related Topics
- Imperfecto de subjuntivo en -raB2 — Build the -ra forms of the imperfect subjunctive from the preterite stem and use them in past triggers, counterfactual si-clauses, and ojalá-wishes.
- Imperfecto de subjuntivo en -seB2 — The -se imperfect subjunctive is a fully alive, fully correct alternative to the -ra form in peninsular Spanish — formation, accents, and how it differs in feel.
- Imperfecto de subjuntivo: verbos irregularesB2 — Every irregular imperfect subjunctive is built from the irregular preterite stem — master ten preterite families and you have the whole system.
- Imperfecto de subjuntivo en oraciones con 'si'B1 — Build counterfactual present conditionals with si + imperfect subjunctive + conditional — and avoid the cardinal English-speaker error of putting the conditional or the indicative after si.
- Como si + imperfecto de subjuntivoB1 — Como si ('as if') always demands the imperfect or pluperfect subjunctive in modern Spanish — never the indicative, never the present subjunctive.
- Disparadores en pasado: imperfecto de subjuntivoB2 — When the main clause is past-tense or conditional, subjunctive triggers force the subordinate verb back into the imperfect subjunctive — the sequence-of-tenses rule that drives most uses of -ra and -se.