The Past Subjunctive
Spanish uses the past subjunctive (pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo) to express past expectations, requests, or emotions.
To form the past subjunctive of regular verbs, start with the ellos/ellas form of the simple past (preterite). Drop the -ron ending, and add the past subjunctive endings.
Spanish has two interchangeable sets of endings for this tense. In this lesson, we will focus on the -se endings, which are very common in Spain.
Regular -ar Verbs
For verbs ending in -ar, take the preterite ellos form (like trabajaron or saltaron), drop the -ron, and add the -ase endings:
| Subject | Ending | trabajar |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -ase | trabajase |
| tú | -ases | trabajases |
| él / ella / usted | -ase | trabajase |
| nosotros / nosotras | -ásemos | trabajásemos |
| vosotros / vosotras | -aseis | trabajaseis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | -asen | trabajasen |
Use this tense when the main verb expressing the wish, request, or doubt is in the past:
| We hoped that the clowns would work in the circus. | Esperábamos que los payasos trabajasen en el circo. |
| The circus director asked the acrobat to jump. | El director del circo le pidió a la acróbata que saltase. |
Notice that the nosotros / nosotras form always requires a written accent mark:
| The trapeze artist didn't want us to copy the jump. | La trapecista no quería que copiásemos el salto. |
Regular -er and -ir Verbs
For verbs ending in -er and -ir, follow the exact same rule, but the endings start with -iese (for example, perdieron becomes perdiese):
| Subject | Ending | perder |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -iese | perdiese |
| tú | -ieses | perdieses |
| él / ella / usted | -iese | perdiese |
| nosotros / nosotras | -iésemos | perdiésemos |
| vosotros / vosotras | -ieseis | perdieseis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | -iesen | perdiesen |
Just like with -ar verbs, the nosotros / nosotras form requires a written accent mark.
| The tamer prohibited the animals from losing their balance. | El domador prohibió que los animales perdiesen el equilibrio. |
| You have to be careful. I recommended that the tamer not run. | Hay que tener cuidado. Le recomendé al domador que no corriese. |
