By Sarah Santana
 The
imperfect subjunctive refers to a past
experience but can also refer to unlikely
events or possibilities.
Si tuviera más dinero, viajaría por todo el mundo.
(If I had more money, I would travel around the
whole world.)
Si yo fuera tú, no lo haría. (If I were you, I
wouldn’t do it.)
STEP 1: Remember the 3rd person plural of the preterite.
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 3rd person plural of the
preterite (without the -ron).
Add the Imperfect Subjuntive ending. The great
thing about this the tense is that for all –AR, -ER, and –IR
verbs the ending are the same
THE
YO -ra
TU -ras
USTED, EL, ELLA-ra
NOSOTROS –ramos (there is an accent on the a)
USTEDES, ELLOS, ELLAN-ran
INFINITIVE
 Caber
 pedir
 dar
 poder
 decir
 poner
 dormir
 preferir
 estar
 querer
 haber
 saber
 hacer
 sentir
 ir
 ser
 leer
 traducir
 tener
 traer
3rd Person Preterite
cupieron
pidieron
dieron
pudieron
dijeron
pusieron
durmieron
prefirieron
estuvieron
quisieron
hubieron
supieron
hicieron
sintieron
fueron
fueron
leyeron
tradujeron
tuvieron
trajeron
Imperfect Subjunctive Stem
cupiepidiediepudiedijepusiedurmieprefirieestuviequisiehubiesupiehiciesintiefuefueleyetradujetuvietraje-
1. The Independent Clause is in the Past



If the WEIRDO verb (independent clause) is in the preterite or the imperfect, then the subjunctive verb
that follows will also be imperfect.
Quise que vinieras/vinieses a mi fiesta. (I wanted you to come to my party.)
Tenía miedo de que no lloviera/lloviese. (I was scared it wouldn't rain.)
2. The Independent Clause Refers to a Previous Occurrence



This is used to express current emotions, doubts, etc. about something that happened in the past.
Es bueno que (él) se casara/casase. (It's good that he got married.)
No me parece que el viaje fuera/fuese largo. (It doesn't seem to me that the journey was long.)
3. To Indicate Unlikely Events



Use Ojalá or ojalá que to express the idea of hoping for something that is unlikely to happen or is
impossible.
Ojalá que nevara/nevase en Panamá. (I wish to God it were snowing in Panama.)
Ojalá mi hermano se casara/casase. (I wish my brother were getting married.)
4. If Clauses



When introduced with si (if) the imperfect subjunctive can support an independent clause which
introduces a dependent conditional clause. These are usually situations that are not very likely.
Si yo fuera/fuese reina, viajaría por todo el mundo. (If I were queen, I would travel all over the world.)
Pintaría más seguido si tuviera/tuviese más tiempo. (I would paint more often if I had more time.)
5. Formal Request



Using only the verbs deber, querer, or poder, you can use the imperfect subjunctive to make a very
polite suggestion or formal request.
Quisiera dos semanas de vacación. (I would like two weeks of vacation.)
¿Pudiera ayudarnos? (Could you help us?)
Wwishes
,
wants,
desire
s
Eemoti
ons
Iimpers
onal
expres
sion
Rrelatio
nships
Ddoubt
OOjala
 Worksheet:
http://www.musicalspanish.com/tutorial/im
p-subjunctive-worksheet.htm
 Worksheet:
http://www.colby.edu/~bknelson/SLC/subj_
past_forms.php
 Practice Quiz:
http://www.spanishdict.com/topics/practic
e/98
 Now
that you have had some practice try to
write a creative conversation using the
Imperfect Subjunctive. Get a partner and
pretend they are a citizen of your country.
Talk to them about the topics we've been
researching and impress them with your new
knowledge about their country! Catch up
with them about how things are going for
them and for yourself.