Question 1

Why do we use practicase here instead of the present subjunctive practique?

Accepted Answer

The first part of the sentence uses a past tense trigger: Era importante que (It was important that). Because the main verb (era) is in the past, the subjunctive verb that follows it must also be in the past. That is why we use the imperfect subjunctive practicase.

Question 2

How exactly do we form practicase from the verb practicar?

Accepted Answer

To form the imperfect subjunctive, you always start with the 'they' form of the simple past (preterite). For practicar, that is practicaron. You drop the -ron at the end, leaving the stem practica-, and then add the -se ending for the he/she/it form to get practicase.

Question 3

Is it also correct to say practicara instead of practicase?

Accepted Answer

Yes, absolutely! The imperfect subjunctive has two different sets of endings: the -se endings and the -ra endings. Practicase and practicara mean the exact same thing and are completely interchangeable. You will hear both in Spain, though the -ra form is slightly more common overall.

Question 4

I see la acróbata. Is this word always feminine because it ends in '-a'?

Accepted Answer

Not quite! Acróbata is a word that stays exactly the same whether you are talking about a man or a woman (just like el turista and la turista). Here, the feminine article la tells us that this specific acrobat is a woman. If it were a male acrobat, it would be el acróbata.

Era importante que la acróbata practicase el salto.

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