Spanish Imperfect Subjunctive

What Is the Imperfect Subjunctive Tense?

The imperfect subjunctive (also known as the past subjunctive) is used to express hypothetical, uncertain or emotional situations that occurred in the past. It’s often used in complex sentences, typically after specific verbs and expressions that trigger the subjunctive mood:

• Ojalá hubiera más comida. (I wish there was more food.)

• Seguro se pondría triste si no lo felicitásemos. (He'd probably be sad if we didn't congratulate him.)

There are two main forms of the imperfect subjunctive: "-ra-"  (e.g., "compraras," "tuvieras") and "-se-" (e.g., "comprases," "tuvieses"). The "-ra-" form is more commonly used, but both are correct and have the same meaning:

• Si tuvieras/tuvieses un millón de dólares, ¿qué harías? (If you had a million dollars, what would you do?)

How to Form the Imperfect Subjunctive

To form the imperfect subjunctive, start with the third-person plural form of the verb in the preterite tense:

• hablar (to speak) → hablaron

• comer (to eat) → comieron 

• vivir (to live) → vivieron

Then remove the "-ron" ending from the preterite form ("habla-," "comie-," "vivie-") and add the imperfect subjunctive endings:

Haere are a few examples to see the imperfective subjunctive in action:

• Quería que él hablara más despacio. (I wanted him to speak more slowly.)

• Era importante que ella hablase con el profesor. (It was important that she spoke with the teacher.)

• Si comiéramos menos azúcar, estaríamos más saludables. (If we ate less sugar, we would be healthier.)

• Si viviesen en una casa más grande, tendrían más espacio para sus cosas. (If they lived in a bigger house, they would have more space for their things.)

When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive

Here are the main ways we use the imperfect subjunctive:

Hypothetical Situations in the Past

To describe past events that are uncertain, hypothetical, or not real:

• Si tuviera más dinero, viajaría por el mundo. (If I had more money, I would travel the world.)

Expectations, Desires, and Doubts

Used after verbs that express wish, doubt, hope, emotion or suggestions, but in the past:

• Esperaba que ella viniera a la fiesta. (I was hoping that she would come to the party.)

Conditional Clauses

Used in the conditional ("si") clause of conditional sentences to talk about impossible or unlikely situations:

• Si pudiera, te ayudaría. (If I could, I would help you.)

Reported Speech

When reporting indirect statements made in the past, especially when the original statement used the subjunctive or imperative:

• Me dijo que fuera al médico. (He told me to go to the doctor.)

Forming Conditional Sentences with the Imperfect Subjunctive

The imperfect subjunctive is often used to create conditional sentences that express hypothetical or unlikely situations. In these sentences, the imperfect subjunctive is used to introduce an unlikely or hypothetical condition, while the conditional indicates the outcome that would happen if the condition were fulfilled:

• Si estudiaras más, sacarías mejores notas. (If you studied more, you would get better grades.)

• Si pudiéramos, iríamos a la playa mañana. (If we could, we would go to the beach tomorrow.)