4.4: Past Subjunctive
- Page ID
- 164423
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Pasado del subjuntivo
The past subjunctive has the same uses of the present subjunctive, but it refers to the past. It is used to express will and wishes, emotions or reactions, recommendations and requests, doubt and denial, and nonexistence in the past. It is also used with impersonal expressions, in other words, verbal phrases that are not conjugated to a specific subject.
Fórmula
The structure of the past subjunctive is the same as the formula of the present subjunctive, except that the verb in the main clause needs to be conjugated in preterite or imperfect, and the verb in the subordinate clause must be conjugated in past subjunctive.
main clause in preterite or imperfect + que + subordinate clause in past subjunctive
Decide the tense in the first clause by following the general rules to use preterite and imperfect. If the context refers to an event that occurred once, use the preterite, but if it happened multiple times, then the imperfect must be used.
Ejemplos
- Mi padre me recomendó que estudiara para el examen final. (My father recommended that I study for the final exam. - He recommended once.)
- Mi padre me recomendaba que estudiara para los exámenes. (My father used to recommend that I study for my exams. - He recommended multiple times.)
Práctica 1
Conjugaciones
All verbs in the past subjunctive have regular conjugations. However, the conjugation process starts with the preterite, which has some irregular verbs; thus, it is very important to know the preterite of the verbs used in past subjunctive.
Follow these steps to conjugate all verbs in past subjunctive:
- Conjugate the verb in the preterite of "ellos".
- Drop the ending "-on".
- Add a new ending: -a, -as, -a, -amos, -ais, -an.
All verbs in the preterite of "ellos" end in "-on", regardles if they are regular or irregular. Follow this process with all verbs.
Ejemplos
| Infinitivo | Pretérito: ellos | Yo | Tú | Usted/él/ella | Nosotros | Vosotros | Ustedes/ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| presentar | presentaron | presenara | presentaras | presentara | presentáramos* | presentarais | presentaran |
| almorzar | almorzaron | almorzara | almorzaras | almorzara | almorzáramos* | almorzarais | almorzaran |
| beber | bebieron | bebiera | bebieras | bebiera | bebiéramos* | bebierais | bebieran |
| tener | tuvieron | tuviera | tuvieras | tuviera | tuviéramos* | tuvierais | tuvieran |
| vivir | vivieron | viviera | vivieras | viviera | viviéramos* | vivierais | vivieran |
| pedir | pidieron | pidiera | pidieras | pidiera | pidiéramos* | pidierais | pidieran |
| ser | fueron | fuera | fueras | fuera | fuéramos* | fuerais | fueran |
*All conjugations of "nosotros" need an accent mark on the vowel before the "-r-" on "-áramos" or "-éramos".