Imperfect Subjunctive in Spanish

In Brief

The Spanish imperfect subjunctive has two equivalent sets of endings: -ra (hablara, comiera) and -se (hablase, comiese). It appears especially when a past main verb requires the subjunctive, and in unreal patterns such as Si pudiera, lo haría (“If I could, I would do it”). Form it from the third-person plural preterite by removing -ron and adding the appropriate endings.

Overview

The subjunctive is a verb mood (a way of presenting an action) used when a clause is shaped by wishes, reactions, doubt, purpose, nonexistence, or imagined conditions rather than simply stated as fact. The imperfect subjunctive carries these meanings in a past setting or in a hypothetical, unreal setting. Despite its name, it is not merely the subjunctive version of the ordinary imperfect tense.

This B2 form builds directly on the present subjunctive. Compare Quiero que vengas (“I want you to come”) with Quería que vinieras (“I wanted you to come”). The reason for using the subjunctive—here, a wish—stays the same; the past viewpoint changes vengas to vinieras.

English often hides this distinction. “I wanted you to come,” “If I were you,” and “I wish you were here” use several different-looking structures, while Spanish uses the imperfect subjunctive in all three kinds of environment. Learning the Spanish trigger and time relationship is therefore more reliable than translating an English verb form word for word.

How It Works

Building the stem from the preterite

Start with the third-person plural preterite—the ellos/ellas/ustedes form of the simple past. Remove -ron, then add either the -ra endings or the -se endings.

Infinitive	Preterite “they” form	Stem after removing -ron	Imperfect subjunctive
hablar	hablaron	habla-	hablara / hablase
comer	comieron	comie-	comiera / comiese
vivir	vivieron	vivie-	viviera / viviese
tener	tuvieron	tuvie-	tuviera / tuviese
decir	dijeron	dije-	dijera / dijese
ir / ser	fueron	fue-	fuera / fuese

This method automatically carries over preterite irregularities: estar → estuvieron → estuviera, poder → pudieron → pudiera, and hacer → hicieron → hiciera. Verbs whose preterite third-person forms contain y keep it too: leer → leyeron → leyera and construir → construyeron → construyera.

The two complete paradigms

The -ra series is the more frequent choice in modern speech. Here is the full pattern with hablar:

Person	-ra form	-se form
yo	hablara	hablase
tú	hablaras	hablases
él, ella, usted	hablara	hablase
nosotros/as	habláramos	hablásemos
vosotros/as	hablarais	hablaseis
ellos, ellas, ustedes	hablaran	hablasen

The endings are added to the same stem for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs. Only the stem differs:

Series	Endings
-ra	-ra, -ras, -ra, -ramos, -rais, -ran
-se	-se, -ses, -se, -semos, -seis, -sen

In the nosotros/as form, write an accent on the vowel immediately before r or s: habláramos, comiéramos, viviésemos, fuéramos. The accent preserves the expected stress.

After a past main verb

When a main clause in the past or conditional creates a normal subjunctive trigger, the dependent clause (a clause that relies on another clause) commonly uses the imperfect subjunctive:

• wish or influence: Quería que me ayudaras. — “I wanted you to help me.”
• emotion or evaluation: Me sorprendió que lo supiera. — “I was surprised that she knew it.”
• doubt or denial: No creían que fuera posible. — “They did not believe it was possible.”
• purpose: Cerré la puerta para que no entrara el ruido. — “I closed the door so the noise would not come in.”

The dependent action may be simultaneous with or later than the past main action. In Le pedí que viniera al día siguiente, the request happened first and the coming was expected later. If the dependent action was already completed before the main action, Spanish normally needs the pluperfect subjunctive: Dudaba que hubiera llegado (“I doubted that he had arrived”).

A present main verb does not automatically require a present subjunctive. If the dependent event belongs to the past, the imperfect subjunctive can be natural: No creo que estuviera allí ayer (“I don’t think she was there yesterday”). The time relationship matters alongside the tense of the main verb.

Unreal conditions with si

For an unlikely or contrary-to-fact condition in the present or future, use:

si + imperfect subjunctive + conditional

Si tuviera más tiempo, aprendería japonés. means “If I had more time, I would learn Japanese.” The condition is imagined rather than presented as a likely plan.

The clauses may change order without changing the grammar: Aprendería japonés si tuviera más tiempo. Do not put the conditional directly after conditional si: standard Spanish says si tuviera, not si tendría.

For realistic or open conditions, use the indicative instead: Si tengo tiempo, voy (“If I have time, I’ll go”). For an unreal condition in the past, use si + hubiera/hubiese + past participle: Si hubiera tenido tiempo, habría ido (“If I had had time, I would have gone”).

Wishes with ojalá

Ojalá introduces a wish. The tense helps show how the speaker views it:

Pattern	Typical viewpoint	Example
ojalá + present subjunctive	open or possible wish	Ojalá venga mañana. — “I hope she comes tomorrow.”
ojalá + imperfect subjunctive	remote, difficult, or contrary-to-fact wish	Ojalá estuvieras aquí. — “I wish you were here.”
ojalá + pluperfect subjunctive	regret about a completed past	Ojalá hubieras venido. — “I wish you had come.”

These are tendencies of meaning, not mathematical measures of probability. Context and tone also affect how hopeful a wish sounds.

Como si: “as if”

After como si, Spanish uses an imperfect or pluperfect subjunctive even when English uses an ordinary past form:

• Habla como si lo supiera todo. — “He talks as if he knew everything.”
• Me miró como si hubiera visto un fantasma. — “She looked at me as if she had seen a ghost.”

Use the imperfect subjunctive for a simultaneous state or action; use the pluperfect subjunctive for something imagined as earlier.

Examples in Context

Spanish	English	Note
Quería que vinieras.	I wanted you to come.	A past wish triggers the subjunctive.
El médico recomendó que descansara unos días.	The doctor recommended that I rest for a few days.	Past recommendation; the subject is understood from context.
Nos alegró que pudierais acompañarnos.	We were glad that you all could join us.	Emotion after a completed main verb; vosotros form.
Buscaban a alguien que hablara árabe.	They were looking for someone who spoke Arabic.	The person was unidentified or may not have existed.
Te lo expliqué para que entendieras el problema.	I explained it to you so that you would understand the problem.	Para que expresses purpose.
No pensé que fuera tan caro.	I didn’t think it would be so expensive.	Negative opinion in a past frame.
Si pudiera, lo haría.	If I could, I would do it.	Unreal or remote present condition.
Si vivierais más cerca, nos veríamos cada semana.	If you lived closer, we would see each other every week.	Hypothetical situation with vosotros.
Ojalá estuvieras aquí.	I wish you were here.	A wish contrary to the present situation.
Ojalá no lloviese durante la boda.	I hope it wouldn’t rain during the wedding.	Remote wish using the -se form.
Habla como si fuera un experto.	He talks as if he were an expert.	Como si requires the subjunctive.
Me pidió que no dijera nada.	She asked me not to say anything.	Irregular stem inherited from dijeron.
No creo que estuviera en casa anoche.	I don’t think he was at home last night.	Present doubt about a past situation.
Quisiera reservar una mesa para dos.	I would like to reserve a table for two.	Polite, softened request.

Common Mistakes

Building the form from the infinitive

• Wrong: Si podería ir, iría.
• Right: Si pudiera ir, iría.
• Why: Use the third-person plural preterite: pudieron. Remove -ron and add -ra: pudiera.

Putting the conditional after hypothetical si

• Wrong: Si tendría dinero, viajaría más.
• Right: Si tuviera dinero, viajaría más.
• Why: In standard unreal conditions, the si clause takes the imperfect subjunctive; the result clause takes the conditional.

Using the present subjunctive in a past sequence

• Wrong: Quería que vienes.
• Wrong in the intended past sequence: Quería que vengas.
• Right: Quería que vinieras.
• Why: The wish is viewed from the past, so the dependent verb normally shifts to the imperfect subjunctive. Vengas can occur only with a deliberately current interpretation, not as the default match for quería.

Forgetting the accent in the nosotros form

• Wrong: Si fueramos juntos...
• Right: Si fuéramos juntos...
• Why: The nosotros/as forms carry a written accent: habláramos, tuviéramos, fuésemos.

Treating -ra and -se as different time periods

• Misleading: hablara is “more recent” than hablase.
• Right: hablara and hablase normally express the same tense and mood.
• Why: The difference is mainly frequency and style, not time. It is fine to use one series consistently.

Using the imperfect for an earlier completed event

• Wrong for the intended meaning: Dudaba que saliera antes de nuestra llegada.
• Right: Dudaba que hubiera salido antes de nuestra llegada.
• Why: If the departure was supposedly complete before the doubting, use the pluperfect subjunctive. Saliera can instead suggest a simultaneous or later departure.

Usage Notes

The -ra forms are much more common across the Spanish-speaking world, especially in conversation. The -se forms are fully standard and understood everywhere, but they can sound less frequent, more formal, or more literary depending on the region and speaker. You do not need to alternate between them: active command of -ra plus recognition of -se is a practical goal.

Within one coordinated passage, speakers often keep the same series—quería que vinieras y te quedaras—because it sounds smooth. Mixing the two is not inherently ungrammatical, however: quería que vinieras y te quedases still has the same basic meaning.

English “were” can provide a useful clue in phrases such as “if I were” and “I wish you were,” but it is not a complete translation rule. Spanish also uses this form where English has “spoke,” “would come,” an infinitive, or another construction. Look first for the Spanish structure: a subjunctive trigger in a past frame, unreal si, ojalá, or como si.

Beyond the Basics

Polite softening

A few imperfect-subjunctive forms, particularly quisiera and sometimes pudiera, can soften present requests:

• Quisiera hacerle una pregunta. — “I would like to ask you a question.”
• ¿Pudiera darme más información? — “Could you give me more information?”

Quisiera is widespread and neutral-polite. Conditional querría is grammatically possible but is often less idiomatic for a simple “I would like.” Uses of pudiera as a polite request vary more by region; ¿Podría…? is a safe general alternative.

Indefinite and nonexistent referents in the past

The imperfect subjunctive also appears in relative clauses (clauses that describe a person or thing) when the referent was sought, denied, or not identified:

• Necesitábamos un hotel que admitiera perros. — “We needed a hotel that allowed dogs.”
• No había nadie que supiera arreglarlo. — “There was nobody who knew how to fix it.”

If the speaker refers to a known, definite fact, the indicative is expected: Nos alojamos en un hotel que admitía perros (“We stayed at a hotel that allowed dogs”). The contrast is not simply past versus present; it is unknown or nonasserted versus presented as real and identified.

When the main verb is not past

The traditional shortcut “past main verb means imperfect subjunctive” is useful but incomplete. Spanish chooses tense according to both the main-clause viewpoint and the time of the dependent action:

• Dudo que venga hoy. — doubt about today or the future
• Dudo que viniera ayer. — doubt about yesterday
• Dudaba que viniera al día siguiente. — past doubt about a simultaneous or later event
• Dudaba que hubiera venido antes. — past doubt about an earlier completed event

This fuller system belongs to sequence of tenses, but noticing the timeline now prevents mechanical tense matching.

A literary use of -ra

In formal historical or journalistic prose, an -ra form can occasionally carry the meaning of a pluperfect indicative: el acuerdo que firmaran años antes may mean el acuerdo que habían firmado años antes (“the agreement they had signed years earlier”). This comes from the historical origin of the -ra form. It is marked in modern usage, is not shared freely by the -se form, and is best treated as a recognition skill rather than a model for everyday speech.

Practice Tips

1. Work backward from the preterite. Choose five useful irregular verbs and write their chain: tener → tuvieron → tuviera, hacer → hicieron → hiciera. This is faster than memorizing a second unrelated irregular list.
2. Transform present pairs into past pairs. Change Quiero que vengas to Quería que vinieras, or Busco a alguien que sepa francés to Buscaba a alguien que supiera francés. Keep the reason for the subjunctive constant while shifting the viewpoint.
3. Practice complete conditional pairs aloud. Use prompts such as tener más tiempo, vivir cerca, and poder elegir: Si tuviera más tiempo, leería más. Saying both clauses helps prevent the common si tendría error.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Present Subjunctive — introduces the mood and its main triggers.
• Next step: Pluperfect Subjunctive — expresses hypothetical or nonasserted actions completed before another past point.
• Advanced connection: Sequence of Tenses — explains how main and dependent verb times interact in greater detail.
• Advanced contrast: Subjunctive Alternation — explores subtle choices between indicative and subjunctive.