Presente de Subjuntivo
The present subjunctive is used to express wishes, doubts, emotions, uncertainty, and hypothetical situations in the present or future. However, understanding when to use subjunctive goes far beyond this simple explanation.
📖 For Complete Usage Guide
The rules for when to use subjunctive are complex and extensive. We strongly recommend reviewing the General Aspects document for a comprehensive understanding of all subjunctive uses, including noun subordinates, adjective subordinates, and adverb subordinates.
To form the present subjunctive for regular verbs, take the yo form of the present indicative, remove the -o, and add the opposite endings: -AR verbs get -ER endings, and -ER/-IR verbs get -AR endings.
| Pronoun | -AR verbs | -ER verbs | -IR verbs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | -e | -a | -a |
| Tú | -es | -as | -as |
| Él/Ella/Usted | -e | -a | -a |
| Nosotros/Nosotras | -emos | -amos | -amos |
| Vosotros/Vosotras | -éis | -áis | -áis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | -en | -an | -an |
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | hable |
| Tú | hables |
| Él/Ella/Usted | hable |
| Nosotros/Nosotras | hablemos |
| Vosotros/Vosotras | habléis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | hablen |
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | coma |
| Tú | comas |
| Él/Ella/Usted | coma |
| Nosotros/Nosotras | comamos |
| Vosotros/Vosotras | comáis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | coman |
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | viva |
| Tú | vivas |
| Él/Ella/Usted | viva |
| Nosotros/Nosotras | vivamos |
| Vosotros/Vosotras | viváis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | vivan |
Important: The good news is that most irregular verbs in present subjunctive follow the same pattern as present indicative. If you know the yo form in present indicative, you can form the subjunctive! However, there are some special cases to watch out for.
There are three main categories of irregular verbs in the present subjunctive:
In present subjunctive, we have four completely irregular verbs (one more than in present indicative). These must be memorized:
| Yo | sea |
| Tú | seas |
| Él/Ella/Usted | sea |
| Nosotros | seamos |
| Vosotros | seáis |
| Ellos/Ustedes | sean |
| Yo | vaya |
| Tú | vayas |
| Él/Ella/Usted | vaya |
| Nosotros | vayamos |
| Vosotros | vayáis |
| Ellos/Ustedes | vayan |
| Yo | haya |
| Tú | hayas |
| Él/Ella/Usted | haya |
| Nosotros | hayamos |
| Vosotros | hayáis |
| Ellos/Ustedes | hayan |
| Yo | sepa |
| Tú | sepas |
| Él/Ella/Usted | sepa |
| Nosotros | sepamos |
| Vosotros | sepáis |
| Ellos/Ustedes | sepan |
Here's where subjunctive gets interesting: Remember those verbs that were only irregular in the "yo" form in present indicative? Well, in present subjunctive, that irregularity spreads like a disease to ALL forms! Think of it as the yo irregularity infecting every single person. This actually makes subjunctive easier because the pattern is consistent across all forms.
🦠 How the "Disease" Works:
yo conozco → conozc- → ALL forms get -zc-
| Yo | conozca |
| Tú | conozcas |
| Él/Ella/Usted | conozca |
| Nosotros | conozcamos |
| Vosotros | conozcáis |
| Ellos/Ustedes | conozcan |
yo produzco → produzc- → ALL forms get -zc-
| Yo | produzca |
| Tú | produzcas |
| Él/Ella/Usted | produzca |
| Nosotros | produzcamos |
| Vosotros | produzcáis |
| Ellos/Ustedes | produzcan |
Also: parecer → parezca, nacer → nazca, crecer → crezca, traducir → traduzca, conducir → conduzca, etc.
Hacer (to do/make)
yo hago → hag-
haga, hagas, haga, hagamos, hagáis, hagan
Poner (to put)
yo pongo → pong-
ponga, pongas, ponga, pongamos, pongáis, pongan
Salir (to leave)
yo salgo → salg-
salga, salgas, salga, salgamos, salgáis, salgan
Traer (to bring)
yo traigo → traig-
traiga, traigas, traiga, traigamos, traigáis, traigan
Ver (to see)
yo veo → ve-
vea, veas, vea, veamos, veáis, vean
Decir (to say)
yo digo → dig-
diga, digas, diga, digamos, digáis, digan
Also: valer → valga, caber → quepa, oír → oiga, caer → caiga, and many more!
These verbs have both stem changes AND yo irregularities that spread:
yo tengo → teng- + stem change
| Yo | tenga |
| Tú | tengas |
| Él/Ella/Usted | tenga |
| Nosotros | tengamos |
| Vosotros | tengáis |
| Ellos/Ustedes | tengan |
yo vengo → veng- + stem change
| Yo | venga |
| Tú | vengas |
| Él/Ella/Usted | venga |
| Nosotros | vengamos |
| Vosotros | vengáis |
| Ellos/Ustedes | vengan |
⏰ Why Learn These Later?
Stem changes in present subjunctive are very, very specific and only affect certain forms. More importantly, mistakes with these are barely noticeable in conversation. Even if you get them wrong, native speakers will still understand you perfectly. We recommend focusing on the super irregulars and yo irregulars first, as those are much more common and noticeable. Once you're comfortable with everything else, come back to these!
In present subjunctive, -IR verbs with stem changes have an additional change in nosotros and vosotros forms (the forms that were regular in present indicative):
| Yo | pida |
| Tú | pidas |
| Él/Ella/Usted | pida |
| Nosotros | pidamos (i, not e!) |
| Vosotros | pidáis (i, not e!) |
| Ellos/Ustedes | pidan |
Also: servir, vestir, repetir, seguir, conseguir, medir, reír, sonreír, etc.
| Yo | sienta |
| Tú | sientas |
| Él/Ella/Usted | sienta |
| Nosotros | sintamos (i, not ie!) |
| Vosotros | sintáis (i, not ie!) |
| Ellos/Ustedes | sientan |
Also: mentir, preferir, and other -IR verbs with e → ie. (AR/ER verbs like pensar, querer remain regular in nosotros/vosotros)
| Yo | duerma |
| Tú | duermas |
| Él/Ella/Usted | duerma |
| Nosotros | durmamos (u, not ue!) |
| Vosotros | durmáis (u, not ue!) |
| Ellos/Ustedes | duerman |
Also: morir. (AR/ER verbs like poder, volver, contar remain regular in nosotros/vosotros)
Remember: These changes only apply to -IR ending verbs. -AR and -ER verbs follow the normal stem-change pattern without the additional nosotros/vosotros change. But again, focus on learning these last—they're the least important for communication!
Subjunctive conjugation is one thing, but knowing when to use it is another. A tutor can help you master both the forms and the usage through real conversations and personalized feedback.