Present unreal manner clauses (como si)

Expressing "As If"

To describe how someone is acting right now by comparing their behavior to an imaginary or unreal situation, use the phrase como si (as if).

Because the scenario following como si is hypothetical or contrary to fact, Spanish requires the subjunctive mood. Even when you are describing present or ongoing behaviors, you must always use the past subjunctive after this phrase—specifically, the imperfect subjunctive (Pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo).

She behaves as if she were the owner of the house.
Ella se comporta como si fuera la dueña de la casa.
They ignore me as if I were transparent.
Ellos me ignoran como si fuera transparente.

Forms of the Imperfect Subjunctive

In the examples above, you saw fuera (the imperfect subjunctive of ser, meaning "were"). Depending on who is being compared to the imaginary situation, you will conjugate the verb accordingly. For ser, these forms are fuera (I, he, she, it), fueras (you informal), fuéramos (we), fuerais (you plural informal), and fueran (they, you plural formal).

Why do you behave as if you were superior to everyone else?
¿Por qué te comportas como si fueras superior a los demás?
He looks at us as if we were criminals.
Nos mira como si fuéramos delincuentes.

Describing Strange Behavior

This structure is incredibly useful for discussing pretense, exaggerations, or strange behavior. You will frequently see como si paired with action verbs like comportarse (to behave), tratar (to treat), or verbs of perception like mirar (to look at) and susurrar (to whisper).

You treat the boss as if he were your servant.
Tratas al jefe como si fuera tu sirviente.
The genius whispers to me as if it were a secret.
El genio me susurra como si fuera un secreto.
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