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On this page, you will find all of the information you'll need to learn how to conjugate Spanish verbs in the subjunctive tense. The subjunctive tense is a little different than the other tenses, because it doesn't describe when something is happening. Instead, it describes how someone is feeling. For example:
I hope that my mother runs to the store.
The girls wish that the clothes are cheap.
The bolded verbs above are verbs in the subjunctive tense. If we were to write the above sentences in Spanish, we would conjugate them according to the subjunctive tense rules. But you may be wondering why only one of the verbs in each sentence is conjugated in the subjunctive tense, and not all of the verbs. This is because sentences in the subjunctive tense usually follow a specific model, and it looks like this:
It is important that you recognize the words that describe emotion in subjunctive sentences. In the sentences above, the words 'I hope' and 'The girls wish' describe how those people are feeling. When you see phrases like these, you should recognize that you will be using the subjunctive tense.
In Spanish, there are generally three possible endings to a basic verb: -ar, -er, and -ir. Most verbs in the Spanish language end with one of these three endings, and each ending has a rule for how to conjugate it. Thankfully, verbs ending in -er and -ir follow the same rules, so we don't have to learn three different methods for conjugation.
Also, conjugation depends on the subject of your sentence. In Spanish, there are usually six different types of subjects:
Now that you know the basics, you can start learning the rules of subjunctive tense conjugation! In the charts below, you will find information on how to conjugate in the subjunctive tense for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs based on what the subject of your sentence is.
-ar verbs
-er and -ir verbs
There are two things about the subjunctive tense that you should notice and keep in mind:
And there you have it! That's all you really need to know about conjugating verbs in the subjunctive tense. However, there are a few irregular verbs that don't quite follow these rules, but we'll talk about those in a different lesson! Now, you're one step closer to knowing the Spanish language! Do you have questions? Click here to make a post and ask!
I hope that my mother runs to the store.
The girls wish that the clothes are cheap.
The bolded verbs above are verbs in the subjunctive tense. If we were to write the above sentences in Spanish, we would conjugate them according to the subjunctive tense rules. But you may be wondering why only one of the verbs in each sentence is conjugated in the subjunctive tense, and not all of the verbs. This is because sentences in the subjunctive tense usually follow a specific model, and it looks like this:
| Subject #1 | Verb #1 (conjugated based on past, present, or future tense) | "que" | Subject #2 | Verb #2 (conjugated based on subjunctive rules) | Remainder of Sentence |
| I | hope | that | my mother | runs | to the store. |
| Yo | espero | que | mi madre | corra | a la tienda. |
It is important that you recognize the words that describe emotion in subjunctive sentences. In the sentences above, the words 'I hope' and 'The girls wish' describe how those people are feeling. When you see phrases like these, you should recognize that you will be using the subjunctive tense.
In Spanish, there are generally three possible endings to a basic verb: -ar, -er, and -ir. Most verbs in the Spanish language end with one of these three endings, and each ending has a rule for how to conjugate it. Thankfully, verbs ending in -er and -ir follow the same rules, so we don't have to learn three different methods for conjugation.
Also, conjugation depends on the subject of your sentence. In Spanish, there are usually six different types of subjects:
| yo = I | nosotros = we |
| tú = you | vosotros = you all (Spain) |
| él/ella/usted = he/she/it | ellos/ellas/ustedes = they |
-ar verbs
| yo = e | nosostros = emos |
| tú = es | vosotros = éis |
| él/ella/usted = e | ellos/ellas/ustedes = en |
- When writing a subjunctive sentence, you usually have two verbs that you need to conjugate. Verb #1, the one that comes before the 'que', is conjugated according to whether it is in present, past, or future tense and according to Subject #1. Verb #2 is conjugated in the subjunctive tense.
- To conjugate -ar verbs in the subjunctive tense, you first use the present tense 'yo' conjugation of the word. Then, you drop the -o off of the end of the present tense conjugated verb and add the subjunctive ending (found in the chart above) that matches Subject #2 of the sentence.
- Example: In the sentence, "I want that she talks on the phone," Subject #1 is 'I' and Verb #1 is 'want'. The Spanish word for 'want' is querer. To conjugate this verb to match Subject #1, 'I', we first have to identify that the phrase, "I want," is in the present tense. Then, we simply conjugate the verb 'querer' in the present tense to match the subject, 'I'. This turns the verb 'querer' into 'quiero'. Subject #2 is she and Verb #2 is talks. The Spanish word for 'talks' is 'hablar'. This is the verb that we conjugate in the subjunctive tense. To conjugate this verb in the subjunctive tense, we first put it in the present tense 'yo' form: hablo. Then, we drop the -o, turning 'hablo' into 'habl'. Finally, we attach the subjunctive ending according to the chart above. Because Subject #2 is 'she', we will add -e, making the verb 'hable'.Therefore, the sentence, "I want that she talks on the phone," in Spanish will be, "Yo quiero que ella hable por teléfono."
-er and -ir verbs
| yo = a | nosotros = amos |
| tú = as | vosotros = áis |
| él/ella/usted = a | ellos/ellas/ustedes = an |
- When writing a subjunctive sentence, you usually have two verbs that you need to conjugate. Verb #1, the one that comes before the 'que', is conjugated according to whether it is in present, past, or future tense and according to Subject #1. Verb #2 is conjugated in the subjunctive tense.
- To conjugate -er and -ir verbs in the subjunctive tense, you first use the present tense 'yo' conjugation of the word. Then, you drop the -o off of the end of the present tense conjugated verb and add the subjunctive ending (found in the chart above) that matches Subject #2 of the sentence.
- Example: In the sentence, "We hope that she sees the stars," Subject #1 is 'We' and Verb #1 is 'hope'. The Spanish word for 'hope' is esperar. To conjugate this verb to match Subject #1, 'We', we first have to identify that the phrase, "We hope," is in the present tense. Then, we simply conjugate the verb 'esperar' in the present tense to match the subject, 'We'. This turns the verb 'esperar' into 'esperamos'. Subject #2 is she and Verb #2 is sees. The Spanish word for 'sees' is 'ver'. This is the verb that we conjugate in the subjunctive tense. To conjugate this verb in the subjunctive tense, we first put it in the present tense 'yo' form: veo. Then, we drop the -o, turning 'veo' into 've'. Finally, we attach the subjunctive ending according to the chart above. Because Subject #2 is 'she', we will add -a, making the verb 'vea'.Therefore, the sentence, "We hope that she sees the stars," in Spanish will be, "Nosotros esperamos que ella vea las estrellas."
- Example: In the sentence, "I wish that my sister lives here," Subject #1 is 'I' and Verb #1 is 'wish'. The Spanish word for 'wish' is desear. To conjugate this verb to match Subject #1, 'I', we first have to identify that the phrase, "I wish," is in the present tense. Then, we simply conjugate the verb 'desear' in the present tense to match the subject, 'I'. This turns the verb 'desear' into 'deseo'. Subject #2 is my sister and Verb #2 is lives. The Spanish word for 'lives' is 'vivir'. This is the verb that we conjugate in the subjunctive tense. To conjugate this verb in the subjunctive tense, we first put it in the present tense 'yo' form: vivo. Then, we drop the -o, turning 'vivo' into 'viv'. Finally, we attach the subjunctive ending according to the chart above. Because Subject #2 is 'my sister', we will add -a, making the verb 'viva'.Therefore, the sentence, "I wish that my sister lives here," in Spanish will be, "Yo deseo que mi hermana viva aquí."
There are two things about the subjunctive tense that you should notice and keep in mind:
- The word 'que' almost always separates Subject/Verb #1 from Subject/Verb #2. This word usually represents the word 'that' in subjunctive sentences. By recognizing this, you will usually be able to identify when to use the subjunctive tense.
- When trying to remember how to conjugate in the subjunctive tense, it may be helpful to recognize that the endings to subjunctive verbs are the opposite of what the verb orignally ends in. For example, when conjugating -ar verbs in the subjunctive tense, the possible endings all have the letter e (-emos, -e, -es, -en, etc.). And when conjugating -er/-ir verbs in the subjunctive tense, the possible endings all have the letter a (-amos, -a, -as, -an. etc.).
And there you have it! That's all you really need to know about conjugating verbs in the subjunctive tense. However, there are a few irregular verbs that don't quite follow these rules, but we'll talk about those in a different lesson! Now, you're one step closer to knowing the Spanish language! Do you have questions? Click here to make a post and ask!
