MORE SUBJUNCTIVE
Pattern: The subjunctive mood can apply to perfect tenses. It also has forms that are no longer
commonly used.
A word about subjunctive perfect tenses
Perfect tenses are a combination of the verb haber and the past participle. To form these in the
subjunctive mood, simply use the subjunctive form of the verb haber. Here are two examples; one in
present perfect subjunctive and the other in past perfect subjunctive:
Espero que lo hayas hecho.
I hope that you have done it.
No creían que hubiéramos terminado.
They did not believe that we had finished.
Subjunctive and the future
The future subjunctive is really only found in old sayings, scriptures, and legal documents
today. Here are the conjugations and a couple of examples so that you can recognize it when you see it.
Forming the future subjunctive: The future subjunctive is formed by taking the same stem as
the imperfect subjunctive (third-person preterit form and dropping the -on). The difference is in the
endings. For future subjunctive, use the following endings: -e, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en. For example:
Si a Roma fueres, haz lo que vieres.
When in Rome, do as the Romans. (Literally: If you ever go to Rome, do whatever you
see them doing.)
El propietario no se hace responsable de accidentes. En caso de que el contratado se lastimare,
tendrá responsabilidad completa para su propio cuidado médico.
The owner is not responsible for accidents. If a contractor were to get hurt, he or she will
have complete responsibility for their own medical care.
Imperfect subjunctive note
It is worth noting that the imperfect subjunctive can be used as a polite way of saying things.
For example, it is common in phrases like:
Yo quisiera pedirte un favor.
Pudiera ser que tuviera usted razón.
I would like to ask you for a favor.
You could be right, sir/madam.
These phrases would have nearly the same meanings if the conditional or present tense were used
(querría/quiero, podría/puede, etc).