Imperfect Subjunctive Spanish

---

The imperfect subjunctive (el imperfecto de subjuntivo en español) often refers to a previous experiences in the past, but can also refer to unlikely events or possibilities.

For the imperfect subjunctive to be formed, the verb in the main clause has to be in one of the following tenses or moods: preterite, imperfect, conditional, or pluperfect.

Examples:

La policía arrestó a los ladrones antes de que escaparan. (Pretérito)
Police arrested the thieves before they escaped. (Preterit)

La enfermera no permitía que los padres viesen a los niños. (Imperfecto)
The nurse did not allow the parents to see the children. (Imperfect)

Yo no compraría esa mesa. (Condicional)
I wouldn’t buy that table. (Conditional)

Forming The Imperfect Subjunctive in Spanish

The imperfect subjunctive (imperfecto subjuntivo) uses the third-person plural (ellos/ellas) of the preterit tense (minus the -ron) and add the corresponding endings.

Imperfect Subjunctive Verb-endings Table

Pronoun	Ending	(Hablar) Verb Conjugation
yo	-ra	hablara
tú	-ras	hablaras
él/ella/usted	-ra	hablara
nosotros/nosotras	-ramos	habláramos
vosotros/vosotras	-rais	hablarais
ellos/ellas/ustedes	-ran	hablaran

Alternative Imperfect Subjunctive Endings

Pronoun	Ending	(Hablar) Verb Conjugation
yo	-se	hablase
tú	-ses	hablases
él/ella/usted	-se	hablase
nosotros/nosotras	-semos	hablásemos
vosotros/vosotras	-seis	hablaseis
ellos/ellas/ustedes	-sen	hablasen

Examples:

El director quería que habláramos con los padres de familia.
The principal wanted us to speak to the parents.

No fue posible que mis tíos viajasen con nosotros.
It was not possible for my uncles to travel with us.

Note:

• The first and third person in the singular forms are exactly the same.
• The nosotros form have accent marks preceding the -r or the -s of the endings.

More Use Cases and Examples

• The imperfect subjunctive can also be used in polite requests using the verbs deber (should), poder (to be able) and querer (to wish, to like).

Examples:

Ustedes debieran de pagar la factura.
You guys should pay the bill.

¿Pudieras tú enviar el correo electrónico, por favor?
Could you send the mail, please?

Quisiera que me ayudaras más con las tareas del hogar.
I would like you to help me more with the housework.

• The imperfect subjunctive can also be used in current opinions of past events.

Examples:

No creo que Marcos viajara/viajase a España sólo.
I don’t think Marcos traveled to Spain alone.

Es muy bueno que él comprara/comprase pizza para todos.
It’s great that he bought pizza for everyone.

• It can also be used in doubts and wishes. Using ojalá or ojalá que in additionally expresses hoping for something that is unlikely or is impossible to happen.

Examples:

Ojalá mi hermana viniera/viniese a visitarme.
I wish my sister came to visit me.

Ojalá que lloviese en esta tarde de verano.
I wish it would rain on this summer afternoon.

Also see the imperfect tense in Spanish (indicative mood).