Imperfect Subjunctive in Catalan

Overview

The imperfect subjunctive is the past-tense counterpart of the present subjunctive. At the B2 level, it unlocks hypothetical conditionals, past wishes, and subordinate clauses depending on a past main verb. It is essential for expressing "if I could," "I wanted you to," and "I didn't think that."

Catalan forms the imperfect subjunctive by adding distinctive endings to the verb stem. The forms are highly regular, with only a few common exceptions. The most important use is in si-clauses for unreal conditions: Si pogués, viatjaria (If I could, I would travel).

The imperfect subjunctive interacts closely with the conditional mood. Together, they form the backbone of hypothetical expression in Catalan, enabling you to discuss imaginary situations, give nuanced advice, and express unrealized wishes.

How It Works

Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation

Person	-ar (cantar)	-er/-re (beure)	-ir (dormir)
jo	cantés	begués	dormís
tu	cantessis	beguessis	dormissis
ell/ella	cantés	begués	dormís
nosaltres	cantéssim	beguéssim	dormíssim
vosaltres	cantéssiu	beguéssiu	dormíssiu
ells/elles	cantessin	beguessin	dormissin

Common Irregular Forms

Infinitive	jo (imp. subj.)
ser	fos
estar	estigués
haver	hagués
fer	fes
dir	digués
tenir	tingués
venir	vingués
poder	pogués
voler	volgués
saber	sabés

Uses

Use	Pattern	Example
Hypothetical condition	si + imp. subj., conditional	Si pogués, viuria a la costa.
Past wish	volia que + imp. subj.	Volia que vinguessis.
Past doubt	no creia que + imp. subj.	No creia que ho sabés.
Purpose (past)	perquè + imp. subj.	Ho va fer perquè ho entenguessin.

Examples in Context

Catalan	English	Note
Si pogués, viuria a la costa.	If I could, I would live on the coast.	Hypothetical
Volia que vinguessis.	I wanted you to come.	Past wish
Si fos ric, viatjaria.	If I were rich, I would travel.	Unreal present
No creia que ho sabés.	I didn't think he/she knew it.	Past doubt
Si tingués temps, ho faria.	If I had time, I would do it.	Hypothetical
Esperava que diguessis la veritat.	I expected you to tell the truth.	Past expectation
Si no fos per tu, no ho hauria fet.	If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have done it.	Mixed conditional
Ho va fer perquè tots ho entenguessin.	He did it so that everyone would understand.	Past purpose
Si em demanessis, t'ajudaria.	If you asked me, I would help you.	Hypothetical
Dubto que vingués.	I doubt he/she came.	Doubt about past

Common Mistakes

Using conditional in the si-clause

• Wrong: Si podria, viatjaria.
• Right: Si pogués, viatjaria.
• Why: The si-clause takes the imperfect subjunctive; the conditional goes in the result clause only.

Confusing imperfect indicative with imperfect subjunctive

• Indicative: cantava (I was singing / I used to sing)
• Subjunctive: cantés (that I sang / if I sang)
• Why: These are different moods. The subjunctive appears after triggers (si, que after wish/doubt verbs) while the indicative is for factual narration.

Forgetting the double -ss- in tu and nosaltres/vosaltres

• Wrong: Si cantesis...
• Right: Si cantessis...
• Why: The tu form has -essis/-issis, and the nosaltres/vosaltres forms have -éssim/-éssiu and -íssim/-íssiu.

Usage Notes

In colloquial Catalan, the imperfect indicative sometimes replaces the imperfect subjunctive in si-clauses: Si podia, ho feia instead of Si pogués, ho faria. While widespread in speech, this is not considered standard in written Catalan. For formal and written contexts, always use the subjunctive in si-clauses.

Practice Tips

1. Create hypothetical scenarios: "Si fos president, canviaria... Si pogués volar, aniria... Si tingués un milió, compraria..."
2. Practice the past wish pattern: "Volia que..." followed by various imperfect subjunctive verbs.
3. Memorize the irregular forms as a group: fos, estigués, hagués, fes, digués, tingués, vingués, pogués, volgués, sabés.

Related Concepts

• Present Subjunctive — the present-tense subjunctive
• Complex Conditionals — second and third conditional patterns
• Advanced Subordination — complex clause patterns
• Sequence of Tenses — tense agreement rules