Advanced Spanish Grammar

Conditional Tense Formation of Regular Verbs
Conditional Tense Formation of Irregular Verbs
Gerund Formation of Regular Verbs
Gerund Formation of Irregular Verbs
Expressions with a Gerund
Past Participle Formation
Past Participle Formation of Irregular Verbs
Uses of the Past Participle Passive Voice
Compound Tenses: preterit perfect, pluperfect, future and conditional perfect
Relative Pronouns
Reflexive Verbs
Accidental Verbs

Reciprocal Verbs
Special Verbs
Uses of the Pronoun "Se"
Present Subjunctive Tense Formation of Regular Verbs
Present Subjunctive Tense Formation of Irregular Verbs
Uses of the Present Subjunctive Tense
Present Perfect Subjunctive Tense Formation of Regular Verbs
Uses of the Present Perfect Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive Tense Formation of Regular Verbs
Uses of the Imperfect Subjunctive
Pluperfect Subjunctive Tense Formation of Regular Verbs
Uses of the Pluperfect Subjunctive

Conditional Tense Formation of Regular Verbs

The conditional is used to express a possible future action that is dependent on some conditions. It also expresses a specific action or an action that one does not know, a probability of an action in the past, and is also used as a courtesy when asking for something. The conditional tense is formed using the infinitive + ending.

The Conditional Tense is used to express:

A future action subject to a condition, an uncertain action. For example, Leería el libro( si . . .. )(I would read the book . . . if . . .)
What is uncertain or probable in the past. For example, Probablemente nos esperaría. (He was probably waiting for us.)
A courtesy when asking for something. For example, ¿Podrías poner la mesa? (Would you set the table?) Or, ¿Podría poner la mesa? (May I set the table?)

Attention! Do not confuse these endings with the imperfect tense. In the imperfect, you drop the endings ar, er, ir. In the future and conditional, you do not drop them!

The endings of the conditional verbs are the same for the three categories of verbs (-ar, –er and –ir)

Here is a conjugation example of a regular verb with an “ar” ending.

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Hablar	To Speak
Yo	Hablaría	I would speak
Tú	Hablarías	You would speak
Usted/él/ella	Hablaría	You (formal)/He/She would speak
Nosotros	Hablaríamos	We would speak
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Hablarían	You (plural) would speak/They would speak

Here is a conjugation example of a regular verb with an “er” ending.

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Comer	To Eat
Yo	Comería	I would eat
Tú	Comerías	You would eat
Usted/él/ella	Comería	You (formal)/He/She would eat
Nosotros	Comeríamos	We would eat
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Comerían	You (plural) would eat/They would eat

Here is a conjugation example of a regular verb with an “ir” ending.

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Vivir	To Live
Yo	Viviría	I would live
Tú	Vivirías	You would live
Usted/él/ella	Viviría	You (formal)/He/She would live
Nosotros	Viviríamos	We would live
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Vivirían	You (plural) would live/They would live

Conditional Tense Formation of Irregular Verbs

The verbs that are irregular in the Conditional Tense are also irregular in the Future Tense. The Conditional Tense is used to express:

a) A future action relative to a past action. For example, Saldría de mi casa. (I would leave my house.)

b) What is uncertain or probable in the past. For example, Probablemente vendría a mi casa. (He was probably coming to my house.)

c) A courtesy when asking for something. For example, ¿Podría poner la mesa? (Would you set the table?)

The structure of the conditional tense is derived from the structure of the future tense, such that, if the future is regular, the conditional is also regular. For example: comeré (future), comería (conditional) If the future is irregular, the condicional is also. For example: pondré (future), pondría (conditional) In other words, you should maintain the irregular form of the root of the verb in the future, but change the endings by adding –ía, -ías, -ía,- íamos, -ían. As in the future tense, there are 12 basic verbs that don’t follow the same conjugation rules in the conditional tense and related verbs:

Caber	Haber	Poder	Querer
Saber	Decir	Hacer	Poner
Salir	Tener	Valer	Venir

Examples of verbs of the same family that follow the same rules:

Tener / mantener / contener / componer (tendría, mantendría, contendría, compondría)

Poner / proponer / imponer (pondría, propondría, impondría)

For the following verbs, replace the i or the e with d in the verb ending:

Spanish	English
Poner	To put
Salir	To leave
Tener	To have
Valer	To be worth
Venir	To come

For example:

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Poner	To Put
Yo	Pondría	I would put
Tú	Pondrías	You would put
Usted/él/ella	Pondría	You (formal)/He/She would put
Nosotros	Pondríamos	We would put
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Pondrían	You (plural) would put/They would put

For the following verbs, leave out the vowel in the verb ending:

Spanish	English
Caber	To fit
Haber	To have
Poder	To be able to
Querer	To want
Saber	To know

For example:

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Caber	To Fit
Yo	Cabría	I would fit
Tú	Cabrías	You would fit
Usted/él/ella	Cabría	You (formal)/He/She would fit
Nosotros	Cabríamos	We would fit
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Cabrían	You (plural) would fit/They would fit

The last 2 verbs in the group of 12 are stem-changing verbs:

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Decir	To Say
Yo	Diría	I would say
Tú	Dirías	You would say
Usted/él/ella	Diría	You (formal)/He/She would say
Nosotros	Diríamos	We would say
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Dirían	You (plural) would say/They would say

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Hacer	To Do/To Make
Yo	Haría	I would do (make)
Tú	Harías	You would do (make)
Usted/él/ella	Haría	You (formal)/He/She would do (make)
Nosotros	Haríamos	We would do (make)
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Harían	You (plural) would do (make)/They would do (make)

Gerund Formation of Regular Verbs

In Spanish as in English with -ing, we have a gerund formed by adding -ando, -iendo. A gerund is invariable and expresses the progress of an action, in the present, in the past or in the future. Estar + a gerund expresses the progress of the action. A verb of movement + a gerund expresses the gradual development of the action. Verbs of continuity + a gerund express the continuity of the action. A direct complement pronoun + a verb of perception + a gerund can substitute an infinitive. The gerund as an adverb: modifying a verb, to indicate the form of doing something, when it is related to another verb and the two actions coincide in time. The gerund as an adjective: only two exist in Spanish, ardiendo (burning) and hirviendo (boiling), which is from the irregular verb hervir.

The gerund is used to express:

a) The progress of an action. For example, Está lloviendo. (It is raining.)

b) The gradual development of an action. For example, Ellos salieron hablando del mismo problema. (They left speaking about the same problem.)

c) The continuity of an action. For example, Ella continua escribiendo el libro. (She continues writing the book.)

d) To substitute an infinitive. For example, La vimos saliendo del cine. (We saw her leaving the movie theater.)

e) To modify a verb when two actions occur at the same time. For example, Ella me contestó llorando. (She answered me crying.)

f) To serve as an adjective. For example, Puso la vela ardiendo en la mesa. (He put the burning candle on the table.)

Here is a conjugation example of a regular verb with an “ar” ending. These same endings are used for all “regular verbs” that end in “ar”,

Spanish	English
Infinitive: Hablar	To Speak
Hablando	Speaking

Here is a conjugation example of a regular verb with an “er” ending. These same endings are used for all “regular verbs” that end in “er”,

Spanish	English
Infinitive: Comer	To Eat
Comiendo	Eating

Here is a conjugation example of a regular verb with an “ir” ending. These same endings are used for all “regular verbs” that end in “ir”,

Spanish	English
Infinitive: Vivir	To Live
Viviendo	Living

Gerund Formation of Irregular Verbs

The gerund is used to express:

a) The progress of an action. For example, La piedra está cayendo. (The rock is falling.)

b) The gradual development of an action. For example, Ellos salieron creyendo la misma cosa. (They left believing the same thing.)

c) The continuity of an action. For example, Ella continua leyendo el libro. (She continues writing the book.)

d) To substitute an infinitive. For example, La vimos durmiendo en el cine. (We saw her sleeping at the movie theater.)

e) To modify a verb when two actions occur at the same time. For example, Corrí a la escuela trayendo mis libros. (I ran to school carrying my books.)

f) To serve as an adjective. For example, Puso el agua hirviendo en la mesa para el té. (He put the boiling water on the table for the tea.)

Note: All the gerund forms used with “to be” in English should use “estar” en Spanish, never “ser”.

Some –er and –ir verbs change the conjugation –iendo ending of the verb to -yendo.

The most common verbs with this conjugation are:

Spanish	English	Spanish Conjugation	English Conjugation
Caer	To fall	Cayendo	Falling
Creer	To believe	Creyendo	Believing
Huir	To flee	Huyendo	Fleeing
Ir	To go	Yendo	Going
Leer	To read	Leyendo	Reading
Oír	To hear	Oyendo	Hearing
Traer	To bring	Trayendo	Bringing

Note that these changes in spelling are necessary when there are two consecutive vowels in the verb (with the exception of “ir”).

Some of the –ir verbs that are irregular in the preterit also change in the gerund form.

The most common verbs with this conjugation are:

Spanish	English	Spanish Conjugation	English Conjugation
Dormir	To sleep	Durmiendo	Sleeping
Decir	To tell	Diciendo	Telling
Elegir	To choose/To elect	Eligiendo	Choosing/electing
Mentir	To lie	Mintiendo	Lying
Morir	To die	Muriendo	Dying
Pedir	To ask for	Pidiendo	Asking for
Poder	To be able to	Pudiendo	Being able
Preferir	To prefer	Prefiriendo	Preferring
Reír	To laugh	Riendo	Laughing
Seguir	To follow	Siguiendo	Following
Sentir	To feel	Sintiendo	Feeling
Servir	To serve	Sirviendo	Serving
Venir	To come	Viniendo	Coming

Expressions with a Gerund

The expressions with a gerund are formed with a conjugated verb plus a gerund that changes the meaning of the sentence (verb + gerund). This lesson includes information on:

To walk or continue + gerund
To end + gerund
To be + gerund
To go + gerund
To carry + gerund
To remain + gerund
To follow + gerund
To come + gerund

1. To walk or to continue + gerund(Andar o continuar + gerund) – Expresses an action that lasts

Spanish	English
Continúo buscando un taxi.	I continue looking for a taxi.
Tú andas comiendo.	You continue eating.
Usted continúa viviendo.	You continue living.
Él/Ella anda estudiando.	He/She continues studying.
Nosotros andamos hablando.	We continue speaking.
Ustedes andan discutiendo la idea.	You continue discussing the idea.
Ellos/Ellas andan siendo secretarios.	They continue to be secretaries.

2. To end + gerund (Acabar, terminar + gerund) – Expresses the end of an action

Spanish	English
Yo siempre acabo corriendo al tren.	I always end up running to the train.
Tú siempre acabas llorando al ver esa película.	You always end up crying when you see that movie.
Usted siempre termina abriendo la puerta.	You always end up opening the door.
Él/Ella siempre acaba sabiendo la verdad.	He/She always ends up knowing the truth.
Nosotros acabamos llegando tarde.	We end up arriving late.
Ustedes siempre acaban llorando al ver esa película.	You (plural) always stop crying when you see that movie.
Ellos/Ellas terminarán hablando por muchas horas.	They will end up talking for many hours.

3. To be + gerund (Estar + gerund) – Expresses the duration of a present moment in the action

Spanish	English
Yo estoy hablando por teléfono.	I am talking on the phone.
Tú estás bailando la salsa.	You are dancing the salsa.
Usted está leyendo un libro.	You are reading a book.
Él/Ella está viendo la televisión.	He/She is watching TV.
Nosotros estamos visitando un museo.	We are visiting a museum.
Ustedes están cocinando la cena.	You are cooking dinner.
Ellos/Ellas están caminando a la escuela.	They are walking to the school.

4. To go + gerund (Ir + gerund) – Expresses that the action is realized or completed little by little

Spanish	English
Yo voy caminando por la calle.	I am walking in the streets.
Tú vas limpiando la ropa.	You are washing the clothes.
Usted va ayudando a los niños.	You are helping the children.
Él/Ella va viajando a Guatemala.	He/She is traveling to Guatemala.
Nosotros vamos tomando el examen.	We are taking the exam.
Ustedes van cocinando la cena.	You are cooking dinner.
Ellos/Ellas van cantando por la calle.	They are singing in the streets.

5. To carry + gerund (Llevar + gerund) – Expresses the amount of time to carry out an action

Spanish	English
Yo llevo manejando cinco horas.	I have spent five hours driving.
Tú llevas estudiando medicina ocho años.	You have spent eight years studying medicine.
Usted lleva caminando diez minutos.	You have spent ten minutes walking.
Él/Ella lleva llorando dos horas.	He/she has spent two hours crying.
Nosotros llevamos leyendo treinta minutos.	We have spent thirty minutes reading.
Ustedes llevan trabajando siete años.	You have spent seven years working.
Ellos/Ellas llevan corriendo sesenta segundos.	They have spent sixty seconds running.

6. To remain + gerund (Quedarse + gerund) – Expresses that the action continues to be carried out

Spanish	English
Yo me quedo chequeando el correo electrónico.	I keep checking my e-mail.
Tú te quedas mirando la tele.	You keep watching TV.
Usted se queda viviendo en esta casa.	You keep living in this house.
Él/Ella se queda estudiando medicina.	He/she keeps studying medicine.
Nosotros nos quedamos ayudando a los niños.	We keep helping the children.
Ustedes se quedan llorando al ver esa película.	You keep crying when you see that movie.
Ellos/Ellas se quedan caminando por la calle.	They keep walking in the street.

7. To follow + gerund(Seguir + gerund) – Expresses that the action resembles a continuous process

Spanish	English
Yo sigo estudiando la ley.	I continue studying the law.
Tú sigues trabajando para la compañía.	You continue working for the company.
Usted sigue jugando béisbol.	You continue playing baseball.
Él/Ella sigue visitando a su amiga.	He/She continues visiting his/her friend.
Nosotros seguimos visitando a nuestros padres.	We continue visiting our parents.
Ustedes siguen discutiendo la misma cosa.	You continue arguing about the same thing.
Ellos/Ellas siguen viviendo en la casa.	They continue living in the house.

8. To come + gerund(Venir + gerund) – Expresses a repeated action

Spanish	English
Yo vengo tocando el mismo piano.	I continue playing the same piano.
Tú vienes haciendo los mismos ejercicios.	You continue doing the same exercises.
Usted viene asistiendo a la misma escuela.	You continue attending the same school.
Él/Ella viene practicando el mismo hábito.	He/She continues practicing the same habit.
Nosotros venimos mirando la misma película.	We continue watching the same movie.
Ustedes vienen pulsando el mismo control.	You continue pushing the same control.
Ellos/Ellas vienen pasando por el mismo camino cada día.	They continue walking the same path each day.

Past Participle Formation

The past participle is used to express: a) The result of an action. For example, He hablado. (I have spoken.) b) To serve as an adjective. For example, Veo la manzana comida. (I see the eaten apple.)

All –ar verbs are conjugated by replacing the –ar ending with –ado.

For example:

Spanish	English	Spanish Conjugation	English Conjugation
Hablar	To speak	Hablado	Spoken
Nevar	To snow	Nevado	Snowed
El (la) mejor (de)	Best	El (la) peor (de)	Worst

Regular –er and –ir verbs are conjugated by replacing the –er or –ir ending with –ido.

For example:

Spanish	English	Spanish Conjugation	English Conjugation
Comer	To eat	Comido	Eaten
Beber	To drink	Bebido	Drunk
Vivir	To live	Vivido	Lived
Recibir	To receive	Recibido	Received

Past Participle Formation of Irregular Verbs

The past participle is used to express:

a) The result of an action. For example, He escrito un libro. (I have written a book.)

b) To serve as an adjective. For example, Veo la ventana abierta. (I see the open window.)

- Some –er and –ir verbs are stem-changing verbs. The most common stem-changing past participles are:

Spanish	English	Spanish Conjugation	English Conjugation
Abrir	To open	Abierto	Opened
Cubrir	To cover	Cubierto	Covered
Decir	To tell	Dicho	Told
Describir	To describe	Descrito	Described
Escribir	To write	Escrito	Written
Freír	To fry	Frito	Fried
Hacer	To do, make	Hecho	Made
Ir	To go	Ido	Gone
Morir	To die	Muerto	Died
Poner	To put	Puesto	Put
Resolver	To resolve	Resuelto	Resolved
Romper	To break	Roto	Broken
Ser	To be	Sido	Been
Ver	To see	Visto	Seen
Volver	To return	Vuelto	Returned

When there is a vowel before the ending, accent the i in –ido. The most common accented past participles are:

Spanish	English	Spanish Conjugation	English Conjugation
Caer	To fall	Caído	Fallen
Creer	To believe	Creído	Believed
Huir	To flee	Huído	Fled
Leer	To read	Leído	Read
Oír	To hear	Oído	Heard
Reír	To laugh	Reído	Laughed
Traer	To bring	Traído	Brought

Uses of the Past Participle Passive Voice

This lesson includes information on:

Past Participle as an Adjective
Haber + Past Participle
Ser + Past Participle
Estar + Past Participle

1. Past Participle as an Adjective– Frequently the past participle functions as an adjective when it is in agreement with and complementing a noun with the same gender and number. For example, comida preparada (prepared food) or ventana abierta (open window) are adjectives. For example:

Spanish	English
Mamá compró comida preparada para esta noche.	Mom bought prepared food for tonight.

2. Haber + Past Participle – The auxiliary haber (to have) + past participle forms one of the compound tenses: the perfect tenses. These tenses are explained further in the next lesson. For example:

Spanish	English
He estudiado por ocho horas.	I have studied for 8 hours.
Has estudiado por ocho horas.	You have studied for 8 hours.
Usted ha estudiado por ocho horas.	You (formal) have studied for 8 hours.
Él/Ella ha estudiado por ocho horas.	He/She has studied for 8 hours.
Nosotros hemos estudiado por ocho horas.	We have studied for 8 hours.
Ustedes han estudiado por ocho horas.	You (plural) have studied for 8 hours.
Ellos/Ellas han estudiado por ocho horas.	They have studied for 8 hours.

3. Ser + Past Participle – The auxiliary ser (to be) + past participle forms the passive voice, agreeing in gender and number with the subject. This form is used when the subject doing the action is in the sentence. For example:

Spanish	English
El libro fue escrito por Hemmingway.	The book was written by Hemmingway.

4. Estar + Past Participle – Estar + past participle expresses the result of an action. For example:

Spanish	English
Yo cerré las ventanas y ahora están cerradas.	I closed the windows, and now they are closed.

Compound Tenses:
preterit perfect, pluperfect, future and conditional perfect

In order to form the compound tenses, one uses the correct form of the verb haber + the past participle.

This lesson includes information on:

Preterit (Present) Perfect Tense
Pluperfect Tense
Future Perfect Tense
Conditional Perfect Tense

1. Preterit (Present) Perfect Tense

The preterit (present) perfect tense expresses:

a) A terminated action in the immediate past with no time specified. For example, He hecho mi tarea. (I have done my homework.)

b) An action that continues or that is repeated in the present. For example, Yo ya he comido de ese pastel. (I have been eating that dessert.)

The present tense of the verb haber is conjugated:

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Haber	To have
Yo	He	I have
Tú	Has	You have
Usted/él/ella	Ha	You (formal)/He/She has
Nosotros	Hemos	We have
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Han	You (plural) have/They have

The preterit (present) perfect tense is formed:

Present tense of haber + past participle. For example:

Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive	Haber+past participle
Yo	Prestar	He prestado	I have lent
Tú	Ver	Has visto	You have seen
Usted/él/ella	Visitar	Ha visitado	You have visited
Nosotros	Hablar	Hemos hablado	We have spoken
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Comer	Han comido	They have eaten

2. Pluperfect Tense

The pluperfect tense expresses:

a) An action that happened before another action. For example, Ella ya había leído acerca de la cultura china cuando viajó. (She had already read about the Chinese culture when she traveled.)

The imperfect tense of the verb haber is conjugated:

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Haber	To have
Yo	Había	I had
Tú	Habías	You had
Usted/él/ella	Había	You (formal)/He/She had
Nosotros	Habíamos	We had
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Habían	You (plural) had/They had

The pluperfect tense is formed:

Imperfect tense of haber + past participle. For example:

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Haber	To have
Yo	Había sido	I had been
Tú	Habías pagado	You had paid
Usted/él/ella	Había vivido	He had lived
Nosotros	Habíamos reunido	We had met
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Habían arreglado	They had fixed

3. Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect expresses:

a) A future that comes before another future. For example, Ellos ya habrán visitado la playa para el próximo fin de semana. (They will already have visited the beach next weekend.)

b) Probability of a past action related with the present. For example, Habrá recibido buenas notas. (He will have received good grades.)

The future tense of haber is conjugated:

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Haber	To have
Yo	Habré	I will have
Tú	Habrás	You will have
Usted/él/ella	Habrá	You (formal)/He/She will have
Nosotros	Habrémos	We will have
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Habrán	You (plural) will have/They will have

The future perfect tense is formed:

Future tense of haber + past participle. For example:

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Haber	To have
Yo	Habré jugado	I will have played
Tú	Habrás cocinado	You will have cooked
Usted/él/ella	Habrá bebido	He will have drunk
Nosotros	Habremos visto	We will have seen
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Habrán viajado	They will have traveled

4. Conditional Perfect Tense

Conditional perfect expresses:

a) An action that one thought had already happened in the past but that in reality never happened. For example, Pensé que para ayer Juan ya habría llamado a su madre. (I thought that yesterday Juan would have already called his mom.)

b) The probability of a past action before another past action. For example, Pedro habría estudiado ayer por la tarde. (Peter would have studied yesterday afternoon.)

The conditional tense of the verb haber is conjugated:

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Haber	To have
Yo	Habría	I would have
Tú	Habrías	You would have
Usted/él/ella	Habría	You (formal)/He/She would have
Nosotros	Habríamos	We would have
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Habrían	You (plural) would have/They would have

The conditional perfect tense is formed:

Conditional tense of haber + past participle. For example:

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Haber	To have
Yo	Habría puesto	I would have put
Tú	Habrías dicho	You would have said
Usted/él/ella	Habría cantado	He would have sung
Nosotros	Habríamos escuchado	We would have listened
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Habrían llegado	They would have arrived

Relative Pronouns

This lesson includes information on:

Relative Pronouns
Que + Antecedent + Relative Pronoun
Antecedent + Comma + Relative Pronoun
Antecedent + Preposition + Relative Pronoun
Antecedent + To be + El que
Antecedent + Antecedent + El cual
Lo Que and Lo Cual
Cuyo
Cuanto and Todo Lo Que
Donde

1. Relative Pronouns Relative pronouns are used to relate the end proposition with the antecedent. Relative Pronouns in Spanish are:

Spanish	English
Que	That, who, whom, which
Quien	Who/whom/he, she, who
Quienes	Who/whom/those who
El que	Which, whom
El cual	The one that
Lo que	Which, that which
Lo cual	Which, whom, the ones who, the one who, those that (who)
Cuyo	Which, whose
Cuanto	All those, that
Todo lo que	All those, that
Donde	Where, which

One can also use a relative pronoun following a preposition. For example:

· Ha decidido viajar por tres meses, en cuyadecisión no debemos opinar. (She has decided to travel for three months, about whose decision we should not give an opinion.)

2. Que + Antecedent + Relative Pronoun Used:

a) When the relative is a person or a thing

AND

b) Where the relative continues directly without a comma or a preposition from the antecedent

For example:

El libro queme diste es muy interesante. (The book that you gave me is interesting.)

3. Antecedent + Comma + Relative Pronoun

a) Can be used with que, quien, or el cual

b) Refers to people or things

c) Expresses a selection among various persons or things

For example:

La chica, quefue a ver la película con Juan, viene hoy. (The girl, that went to see a movie with John, comes today.)
La comida, la cualpreparamos ayer, es mi preferida. (The food, which we prepared yesterday, is my favorite.)

4. Antecedent + Preposition + Relative Pronoun

a) Can be used with quien, el cual, and el que

b) Can be used with people or things followed by any preposition

c) Can use que after the prepositions a, con, de, or en

d) Following complex prepositions use the relative pronoun el cual.

For example:

El estudiante de quiente hablé ayer es muy inteligente.(The student about whom I spoke yesterday is very intelligent.)
La silla en que me senté se rompió. (The chair in which I sat broke.)
La librería la cualestá detrás del hospital es lo mejor de la ciudad. (The bookstore which is behind the hospital is the best in the city.)

5. Antecedent + To be + El que

a) Refers to people or things

b) The relative pronouns el que and los que can only be used with the verb ser

For example:

Ese chico es el queme llamó ayer.(This boy is the one that called me yesterday.)

6. Antecedent + Antecedent + El cual

a) Refers to people or things

b) El cualis used to distinguish with whom we are speaking when there are two antecedents

For example:

La amiga de Jorge, la cualestuvo en la fiesta ayer, tuvo un accidente. (Jorge’s friend, the one who was at the party yesterday, had an accident.)

7. Lo Que and Lo Cual Lo queand lo cual are:

a) Invariable and neutral

b) Only used where the antecedent is an idea or sentence

For example:

Escribí un libro sobre la vida en Guatemala, lo cual tuvo éxito por todo el mundo. (I wrote a book about life in Guatemala, which was successful around the world.)

8. Cuyo Cuyo:

a) Is used to modify a word because it works like an adjective

b) Is variable

c) Agrees in gender and number with the word it is modifying

d) Is used to indicate possession

For example:

La casa, cuyo techo es de Madera, es muy grande. (The house, whose roof is made of wood, is very big.)

9. Cuanto and Todo Lo Que Cuantomeans the same as todo lo que. They:

a) Express quantity

b) Refer to a specified antecedent

c) Are used to modify a word because they work like adjectives

d) Are variable

e) Are in agreement with the gender and number of the word they are modifying

For example:

Fuimos al Mercado; compramos todo lo que (cuanto) pudimos. (We went to the market; we bought all that we could.)

10. Donde

a) Is a relative pronoun that expresses place

b) Is invariable

For example:

Esta es la escuela dondeestudié español el año pasado. (This is the school where I studied Spanish last year.)

Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive verbs need reflexive pronouns which are:

Me

Te

Se

Nos

Se

This lesson includes information on:

Reflexive Verb Formation
Position of the Reflexive Pronoun

1. Reflexive Verb Formation There are two classes of reflexive verbs:

a) Pure reflexive verbs are those that indicate that an action is received by the same subject that performs the action. For example, Me pongo la ropa. (I put on my clothes.)

b) The apparent reflexive verbs are those that are conjugated as reflexives but do not mean the same thing. For example, Me llevo el libro. (I carry away the book.)

The pronoun is attached to the end of the infinitive when it is reflexive.

For example:

Spanish	English
Aburrirse	To get bored
Bañarse	To bathe
Ducharse	To shower

When you conjugate a verb, the reflexive pronoun is positioned before the conjugated verb.

For example:

Spanish	English
Seaburre	He/she gets bored
Tebañas	You bathe
Meduché	I showered

Some verbs have different meanings when they are reflexive than when they are not reflexive.

For example:

Spanish	English	Spanish	English
Acordar	To agree	Acordarse	To remember
Llamar	To call	Llamarse	To be named
Sonar	To ring	Sonarse	To blow one’s nose

Some reflexive verbs use the prepositions a, de, or en.

For example:

Spanish	English
Negarsea	To refuse
Alegrarse de	To be glad
Convertirse en	To become

2. Position of the Reflexive Pronoun The position of the reflexive pronoun is different in different conjugations.

With a conjugated verb, the reflexive pronoun is positioned before the verb.

For example:

Spanish	English
Meduché	I showered

With the complex verb conjugations, the reflexive pronoun is positioned before the auxiliary verb.

For example:

Spanish	English
Me heduchado	I have showered

With a conjugated verb + an infinitive, one can position the verb at the end of the infinitive or before the conjugated verb.

For example:

Spanish	English
Quiero ducharme	I want to shower
Mequiero duchar	I want to shower

With a gerund, one can position the reflexive pronoun at the end of the gerund or before the auxiliary verb.

For example:

Spanish	English
Estoy duchándome	I am showering
Meestoy duchando	I am showering

Note: When you place the pronoun at the end of the infinitive or the gerund verb, the pronoun is attached to the verb forming one word.

With the affirmative command forms of tú, usted or ustedes, the reflexive pronoun is positioned at the end of the verb forming one word with the verb and the pronoun.

For example:

Spanish	English
Dúche(n)seusted(es)	(You formal or plural) Shower.
Dúchate tú	(You) Shower

With the affirmative command form of nosotros, the reflexive pronoun is positioned at the end of the verb where one removes the final “s” of the verb forming one word with the verb and the pronoun.

For example:

Spanish	English	Spanish	English
Duchemos	Let’s shower	Duchémonos	Let’s shower ourselves

A command in the negative form of tú, usted and ustedes requires the reflexive pronoun before the verb.

For example:

Spanish	English
No seduche(n)usted(es)	(You formal or plural) Don’t shower.
No te duches tú	(You) Don’t shower.

A command in the negative form of nosotros requires the pronoun to be positioned before the verb as well.

For example:

Spanish	English
No nosduchemos	Let’s not shower

Accidental Verbs

Accidental Verbs

a) Accidental verbs are used to describe events that have not been planned. For example, Me caigo. (I fall.)

b) The following formula changes the meaning of the verb in English:

se + indirect object pronoun + verb

For example:

Spanish	English
Se me olvidaronlos verbos.	I forgot the verbs.

Vocabulary – Spanish	Vocabulary – English
Caerse	To fall
Chocarse	To collide with
Olvidarse	To forget
Perderse	To lose
Acabarse	To run out of
Ocurirse	To occur
Quedarse	To leave behind
Aburrirse	To bore oneself
Asustarse	To frighten
Cortarse	To cut oneself
Despertarse	To wake up
Enamorarse	To fall in love
Enfermarse	To get sick
Encontrarse con	To meet someone
Enojarse	To get angry
Ensuciarse	To get dirty
Equivocarse	To make a mistake
Frustrarse	To get frustrated
Lastimarse	To get injured
Mancharse	To stain
Quemarse	To burn oneself
Romperse	To break
Sanarse	To get healthy,well
Sentirse	To feel
Activarse	To activate
Apagarse	To turn off
Encenderse	To turn on

Reciprocal Verbs

Reciprocal verbs are:

a) Those verbs where the action of the subject needs another subject

AND

b) The pronouns used are se and nos

For example:

Spanish	English
Abrazarse	To embrace, to hug
Seabrazan	They hug.
Nosabrazamos	We hug.

Vocabulary – Spanish	Vocabulary – English
Abrazarse	To embrace,to hug
Besarse	To kiss
Enamorarse	To fall in love
Conocerse	To meet
Mirarse	To look at
Hablarse	To speak with
Casarse	To get married
Comprenderse	To understand
Pelearse	To fight
Divorciarse	To divorce
Reconciliarse	To reconcile
Encontrarse	To find, to meet
Darse la mano	To shake hands
Saludarse	To greet
Amarse	To love
Quererse	To want
Reunirse	To meet
Gustarse	To like

Special Verbs

Some verbs exist in Spanish that are conjugated in a special way. For example, gustar normally is only conjugated in:

a) The third person singular

AND

b) The third person plural

The conjugation relates to the direct subject, where the book (el libro) is the subject that normally comes after the verb gustar in a sentence.

For example:

Spanish	English
Me gusta el libro.	The book is pleasing to me.

The relative pronoun (me) is not reflexive. Instead, it is an indirect object pronoun. It is important to note that you do not use the personal pronouns, because the subject is the thing you like (the book) and not the person.

The subject could also be a verb, such as:

o Me gusta estudiar.

o Estudiar is the subject

The conjugation of gustar and other similar verbs, with the phrase of clarification, is:

Spanish	Spanish	English
Indirect object (clarification)	Infinitive: Gustar	To Like
A mí	Me gusta(n)	I like (it is pleasing to me)
A ti	Te gusta(n)	You like (it is pleasing to you)
A Usted/a él/a ella	Le gusta(n)	You (formal)/He/She likes (it is pleasing to him/her/you)
A Nosotros	Nos gusta(n)	We like (it is pleasing to us)
A Ustedes/ A Ellos/a Ellas	Les gusta(n)	You (plural) like (it is pleasing to you)/They like (it is pleasing to them

Uses of the Pronoun “Se”

This lesson includes information on:

Seas Indirect and Direct Object Pronouns
Sein Impersonal Statements
Sein Transitive Sentences
Se as a Reflexive Pronoun

1. Se as Indirect and Direct Object Pronouns

Seis used:

a) To substitute for the indirect object pronouns le and les when there are two object pronouns:

· one indirect le or les

· the other direct, lo, la, los, or las in the same sentence.

For example:

o Se los compró. (He bought them for her.)

b) As a direct object pronoun or an indirect object pronoun when it coincides with the subject.

For example:

o La niña se cambia la ropa. (The girl changed her clothes.)

2. Se in Impersonal Statements

Seis used:

a) When the action of a subject is performed toward another subject.

For example:

o Pedro y María se abrazaron. (Peter and Mary hugged.)

b) In impersonal statements and can be used only in the third person.

For example:

o En esa escuela se aprende buen español. (In that school one learns good Spanish.)

c) In sentences where it works as an incremental verb indicating the passive character of the sentence and can be used only in the third person for this purpose.

For example:

o Se venden tortillas. (They sell tortillas.)

3. Se in Transitive Sentences

Sometimes se is used:

a) As a reflexive pronoun only to intensify the meaning of the verb in transitive or intransitive sentences.

For example:

o Durmió dos horas.(He slept for two hours.)

o Se durmió dos horas {transitive}. (He slept for two hours.)

o Vino rápidamente.(He came quickly.)

o Se vino rápidamente {intransitive}. (He came quickly.)

b) With some verbs that sometimes have transitive structures and are not reflexive with different subjects and direct complements.

· It has the construction of the middle voice.

· Usually the transitive construction is lost with the direct complement and a supplement is introduced.

For example:

o No castigue usted a los niños. (Don’t punish the children.)

o No los castigue (transitive). (Don’t punish them.)

o No se castigue usted (voz media). (Don’t punish yourself.)

4. Se as a Reflexive Pronoun

There are verbs where it is necessary to have the reflexive pronoun and the verb doesn’t exist without it. These verbs can use a supplement.

For example:

o Se arrepintió de lo que había dicho. (He regretted what he had said.)

Present Subjunctive Tense Formation of Regular Verbs

The Present Subjunctive Tense is used to express:

· Uncertainty. For example, No creo que regresen esta noche. (I don’t think they will return tonight.)

· Feelings. For example, Se alegra que venga su amiga. (She is happy that her friend is coming.)

· Desires. For example, Quiero que tengas un buen viaje. (I want you to have a good trip.)

· Hypothetical Situations. For example, Quizás visite este domingo. (Perhaps he is visiting this Sunday.)

In Spanish as in English we have the subjunctive tense. The subjunctive is formed with two clauses:

o the main clause;

o the dependent clause

Generally these clauses are united with the conjunction que. For example, Espero que hables español. (I hope that you speak Spanish.)

The two subjects of the same sentence should be different.

o The main clause should be conjugated in the indicative form: present, future, and commands.

o The dependent clause should be conjugated in the subjunctive form: present subjunctive.

In order to form the present subjunctive, take the first person singular of the indicative form and change the last vowel O with E for the verbs ending in ar, A for verbs ending in er and ir. For example, tengo, tenga. Here is a conjugation example of a regular verb with an “ar” ending. These same endings are used for all “regular verbs” that end in “ar”,

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Hablar	To Speak
Yo	Hable	I speak
Tú	Hables	You speak
Usted/él/ella	Hable	You (formal)/He/She speak
Nosotros	Hablemos	We speak
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Hablen	You (plural) speak/They speak

Here is a conjugation example of a regular verb with an “er” ending. These same endings are used for all “regular verbs” that end in “er”,

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Comer	To Eat
Yo	Coma	I eat
Tú	Comas	You eat
Usted/él/ella	Coma	You (formal)/He/She eat
Nosotros	Comamos	We eat
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Coman	You (plural) eat/They eat

Here is a conjugation example of a regular verb with an “ir” ending. These same endings are used for all “regular verbs” that end in “ir”,

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Vivir	To Live
Yo	Viva	I live
Tú	Vivas	You live
Usted/él/ella	Viva	You (formal)/He/She live
Nosotros	Vivamos	We live
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Vivan	You (plural) live/They live

Present Subjunctive Tense Formation of Irregular Verbs

The Present Subjunctive Tense is used to express:

· Uncertainty. For example, No creo que regresen esta noche. (I don’t think they will return tonight.)

· Feelings. For example, Se alegra que venga su amiga. (She is happy that her friend is coming.)

· Desires. For example, Quiero que tengas un buen viaje. (I want you to have a good trip.)

· Hypothetical Situations. For example, Quizás visite este domingo. (Perhaps he is visiting this Sunday.)

There are some verbs that are irregular and stem-changing in the subjunctive form. Use the same formula for the formation of the subjunctive by using the first person singular of the present indicative form.

For example:

Spanish	Spanish	English
Caber	Quepa	To fit
Caer	Caiga	To fall
Conocer	Conozca	To know
Construir	Construya	To construct
Decir	Diga	To tell
Hacer	Haga	To do/to make
Tener	Tenga	To have
Traer	Traiga	To bring
Venir	Venga	To come
Ver	Vea	To see
Nacer	Nazca	To be born
Oír	Oiga	To hear
Poner	Ponga	To put
Salir	Salga	To leave

If it is irregular in the first person indicative, it is irregular in the subjunctive. With the stem-changing verbs in the subjunctive form, the rule indicates that we take the first person of the preterit tense of the verbs with the endings car, gar, and zar and remove the accent mark.

For example:

Spanish	Spanish
Pagué	Pague
Busqué	Busque
Crucé	Cruce

In order to maintain the sound of the letters g, gu, and c, we have to change the g to j, the gu to g, and the c to z in the subjunctive form.

For example:

Spanish	Spanish
Escoges	Escojas
Siguen	Sigan
Convence	Convenza

Dar

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Dar	To Give
Yo	Dé	I give
Tú	Des	You give
Usted/él/ella	Dé	You (formal)/He/She give
Nosotros	Demos	We give
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Den	You (plural) give/They give

Estar

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Estar	To Be
Yo	Esté	I am
Tú	Estés	You are
Usted/él/ella	Esté	You (formal)/He/She is
Nosotros	Estemos	We are
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Estén	You (plural) are/They are

Haber

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Haber	To Have
Yo	Haya	I have
Tú	Hayas	You have
Usted/él/ella	Haya	You (formal)/He/She have
Nosotros	Hayamos	We have
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Hayan	You (plural) have/They have

Ir

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Ir	To Go
Yo	Vaya	I go
Tú	Vayas	You go
Usted/él/ella	Vaya	You (formal)/He/She goes
Nosotros	Vayamos	We go
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Vayan	You (plural) go/They go

Saber

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Saber	To Know
Yo	Sepa	I know
Tú	Sepas	You know
Usted/él/ella	Sepa	You (formal)/He/She knows
Nosotros	Sepamos	We know
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Sepan	You (plural) know/They know

Ser

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Ser	To Be
Yo	Sea	I am
Tú	Seas	You are
Usted/él/ella	Sea	You (formal)/He/She is
Nosotros	Seamos	We are
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Sean	You (plural) are/They are

Uses of the Present Subjunctive Tense

The present subjunctive has various important uses in Spanish.

This lesson includes information on:

1. Subjunctive Form in Noun Clauses

2. Subjunctive Form in Main Clauses

3. Subjunctive Form in Adverbial Clauses

4. Subjunctive Form in Adjective Clauses

5. Subjunctive Form with Indefinites

6. Subjunctive Form in Independent Sentences

1. Subjunctive Form in Noun Clauses

The uses of the subjunctive form in noun clauses:

The subjunctive is formed with two clauses:

· the main clause

· the dependent clause

Generally these clauses use the connecting word que.

The two subjects of the same sentence must be different.

· The main clause should be in the indicative form: present indicative, future indicative, and commands.

· The dependent clause should be in the subjunctive form: present subjunctive.

For example:

Spanish	English
Yo espero que tú hables español.	I hope that you speak Spanish.

2. Subjunctive Form in Main Clauses

The subjunctive is used in the main clause when it refers to:

· Hypothetical states

· Doubts

· Emotions

· Commands

· Negations

· Advice or begging

· Permission or prohibition

· Wishes

a) If we have only one subject in a sentence, we use the infinitive.

For example:

Spanish	English
Espero regresar temprano.	I hope to return early.

b) With the verbs creer and pensar, one uses the subjunctive in the question and negative forms.

For example:

Spanish	English
¿Crees quellueva mañana?	Do you think it will rain tomorrow?
¿No creen ustedes que él sea un buen hombre?	Don’t you think he is a good man?
No piensoque seaun buen hombre.	I don’t think he is a good man.

One uses the indicative form in the affirmative.

For example:

Spanish	English
Pienso queesun buen hombre.	I think he is a good man.

The verb pensar uses the subjunctive when it is in question form.

For example:

Spanish	English
¿Piensas tú queél regrese temprano.	Do you think that he will return early?

When it is in the negative form, it is necessary to use the verb creer and not the verb pensar.

For example:

Spanish	English
No creo quevengatemprano.	I don’t think he will come early.

c) Use the subjunctive when the main clause is:

o Impersonal

o Expresses doubt, probability or an opinion

For example:

Spanish	English
Es necesario quevuelvaspronto.	It is necessary that you return soon.

3. Subjunctive Form in Adverbial Clauses

The subjunctive in adverbial clauses:

a) Main phrase + expression or time or concession + subjunctive or indicative verb. For the subjunctive in the adverbial clauses you don’t need to have different subjects in each clause.

Uses the indicative when we are expressing a real experience or a truth.

For example

Spanish	English
Vela televisión cuando está en casa.	She watches TV when she is home.

The subjunctive is used when the subordinate clauses expresses an action that will happened, or when there is a command form:

For example:

Spanish

English

Verála televisión cuando venga.

She will watch TV when she comes.

¡Mirala televisionsólocuando

termines de estudiar!

Watch TV only when you finish studying!

b) Main phrase + expression of purpose, condition, or anticipation + subjunctive verb

Used only with the subjunctive because it expresses actions that have not yet happened.

For example:

Spanish	English
Volveréantes de que me lo pidas.	I will return before you ask me to.

4. Subjunctive Form in Adjective Clauses

The subjunctive with adjective clauses:

Noun or pronoun + relative pronoun + indicative or subjunctive verb

a) Uses the indicative form in the subordinate phrase in order to indicate that the person or thing to whom or to which one refers exists or is known.

For example:

Spanish	English
Inscribimosa la chica que llegó ayer por la tarde.	We registered the girl who arrived yesterday afternoon.

b) Uses the subjunctive in the subordinate clause in order to indicate that the person to whom or thing to which one refers does not exist or is not known.

For example:

Spanish	English
Inscribiremos a la chica que lleguetemprano.	We will register the girl who arrives early.

5. Subjunctive Form with Indefinites

The subjunctive with indefinites:

Cualquiera
Quienquiera
Dondequiera
Comoquiera

cualesquiera + indicative or subjunctive verb

a) Uses the indicative form to express a real experience.

For example:

Spanish	English
Dondequieraque parábamosencontrábamos los recursos necesarios.	Wherever we stop we find the necessary resources.

b) Use the subjunctive to express an uncertain action that normally has not happened.

For example:

Spanish	English
Dondequieraque paremosencontraremos los recursos necesarios.	Wherever we stop we will find the necessary resources.

6. Subjunctive Form in Independent Sentences

The subjunctive in independent sentences:

a) Expressions of doubt:

Use acaso, quizá(s), tal vez with the indicative form to express certainty.

For example:

Spanish	English
Tal vez volverá mañana (creo que volverá.).	Perhaps she will return tomorrow (I think she will return.)

Use acaso, quizá(s), tal vez with the subjunctive to emphasize doubt.

For example:

Spanish	English
Tal vez vuelvamañana (espero que vuelva).	Perhaps she will return tomorrow (I think she will return.)

b) Expressions of desire:

Use ojalá que with the present subjunctive form to express a wish or desire in the present or in the future.

For example:

Spanish	English
Ojalá que vuelvamañana.	I hope she will return tomorrow.

Present Perfect Subjunctive Tense Formation of Regular Verbs

The Present Perfect Subjunctive Tense is used to express:

· Uncertainty. For example, Dudará que hayamos terminado el trabajo. (She/He will doubt that we have finished the work.)

· Feelings. For example, Me alegro que te hayas graduado. (I am happy that you have graduated.)

In Spanish as in English we have the present perfect subjunctive tense. The present perfect subjunctive is formed with two clauses:

· the main clause;

· the dependent clause

Generally these clauses are united with the conjunction que. For example, Espero que hayas practicado el piano. (I hope that you have practiced the piano.)

The two subjects of the same sentence should be different.

· The main clause should be conjugated in the indicative form: present and future.

· The dependent clause should be conjugated in the subjunctive form: present perfect subjunctive.

The formation of the present perfect subjunctive tense requires the present subjunctive tense of the verb haber + the past participle. The formation of the present tense of haber is:

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Haber	To Have
Yo	Haya	I have
Tú	Hayas	You have
Usted/él/ella	Haya	You (formal)/He/She has
Nosotros	Hayamos	We have
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Hayan	You (plural) have/They have

For example:

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Hablar	To Speak
Yo	Hayahablado	I have spoken
Tú	Hayashablado	You have spoken
Usted/él/ella	Hayahablado	You (formal)/He/She has spoken
Nosotros	Hayamoshablado	We have spoken
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Hayanhablado	You (plural)/They have spoken

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Comer	To Eat
Yo	Hayacomido	I have eaten
Tú	Hayascomido	You have eaten
Usted/él/ella	Hayacomido	You (formal)/He/She has eaten
Nosotros	Hayamoscomido	We have eaten
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Hayancomido	You (plural)/They have eaten

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Vivir	To Live
Yo	Hayavivido	I have lived
Tú	Hayasvivido	You have lived
Usted/él/ella	Hayavivido	You (formal)/He/She has lived
Nosotros	Hayamosvivido	We have lived
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Hayanvivido	You (plural)/They have lived

Uses of the Present Perfect Subjunctive

The present perfect subjunctive form is used to express an action that already happened with verbs that express emotion, desire, doubt, and with impersonal expressions of emotion, doubt, negation and desire.

Some verbs of emotion used with the Present Perfect Subjunctive are:

Spanish	English
Alegrarse	To be happy
Sentir	To feel
Tener	To have
Odiar	To hate
Tener miedo de	To fear
Lamentar	To lament
Gustar	To like
Preocupar	To be preoccupied
Interesar	To interest
Extrañar	To miss
Sorprender	To surprise
Parecer bien	To appear/seem well
Parecer mal	To appear/seem bad

Some verbs of desire used with the Present Perfect Subjunctive are:

Spanish	English
Desear	To desire
Esperar	To want/hope for

Some verbs of doubt used with the Present Perfect Subjunctive are:

Spanish	English
Dudar	To doubt
Creer	To think/believe
Pensar	To think
Sospechar	To suspect
Suponer	To suppose

The subjunctive is formed with two clauses:

· the main clause

· the dependent clause

Generally these clauses use the connecting word que.

The two subjects of the same sentence must be different.

· The main clause should be in the indicative form: present indicative and future indicative.

· The dependent clause should be in the subjunctive form: present perfect subjunctive.

For example:

Spanish	English
Es una lastimaque hayas salido temprano.	It is a shame that you have left early.
Esperoque hayas cumplido la tarea.	I hope that you have completed the homework.

Imperfect Subjunctive Tense Formation of Regular Verbs

The Imperfect Subjunctive Tense is used to express:

· Uncertainty. For example, Dudé que regresaran esta noche. (I doubted they would return tonight.)

· Feelings. For example, Se alegraba que viniera su amiga. (She was happy that her friend is coming.)

· Desires. For example, Querría que tuvieras un buen viaje. (I would want you to have a good trip.)

In Spanish as in English we have the subjunctive tense. The subjunctive is formed with two clauses:

· the main clause;

· the dependent clause

Generally these clauses are united with the conjunction que. For example, Esperó que hablaras español. (She hoped that you speak Spanish.)

The two subjects of the same sentence should be different.

· The main clause should be conjugated in the imperfect indicative, the preterit or the conditional forms.

· The dependent clause should be conjugated in the subjunctive form: imperfect subjunctive.

In order to form the imperfect subjunctive, take the third person plural of the preterit indicative tense and change the –ron ending for –ra, -ras, -ra, -ramos, -ran. For example, bebiera, bebieras. Here is a conjugation example of a regular verb with an “ar” ending. These same endings are used for all “regular verbs” that end in “ar”,

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Hablar	To Speak
Yo	Hablara	I speak
Tú	Hablaras	You speak
Usted/él/ella	Hablara	You (formal)/He/She speaks
Nosotros	Hablaramos	We speak
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Hablaran	You (plural) speak/They speak

Here is a conjugation example of a regular verb with an “er” ending. These same endings are used for all “regular verbs” that end in “er”,

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Comer	To Eat
Yo	Comiera	I eat
Tú	Comieras	You eat
Usted/él/ella	Comiera	You (formal)/He/She eats
Nosotros	Comieramos	We eat
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Comieran	You (plural) eat/They eat

Here is a conjugation example of a regular verb with an “ir” ending. These same endings are used for all “regular verbs” that end in “ir”,

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Vivir	To Live
Yo	Viviera	I live
Tú	Vivieras	You live
Usted/él/ella	Viviera	You (formal)/He/She lives
Nosotros	Vivieramos	We live
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Vivieran	You (plural) live/They live

Uses of the Imperfect Subjunctive

This lesson includes information on:

Imperfect Subjunctive with Past Tense
Imperfect Subjunctive with Present Tense
Imperfect Subjunctive with Conditional Tense
Imperfect Subjunctive with Si (If)
Imperfect Subjunctive After Como Si

1. Imperfect Subjunctive with Past Tense The imperfect subjunctive is used when:

the main clause is in the past or imperfect tense
the action in the dependent clause happened in the past

For example:

Spanish	English
Esperabaque regresaras.	I hoped that you returned.

2. Imperfect Subjunctive with Present Tense The imperfect subjunctive is used when:

the main clause is in the present tense
he dependent clause refers to an action in the past

For example:

Spanish	English
Me alegroque regresaras contento.	I am happy that you returned happy.

3. Imperfect Subjunctive with Conditional Tense The imperfect subjunctive is used when:

the main clause is in the past or imperfect tense
the action in the dependent clause happened in the past

For example:

Spanish	English
Ellanecesitaríauna amiga quecuidarael perro.	She would need a friend to take care of the dog.

4. Imperfect Subjunctive with Si (If) The imperfect subjunctive tense is used when:

the subordinate clause is related to the principle clause with the conjunction si (if)
we want to express an unreal or contrary condition to the present reality

For example:

Spanish	English
Compraríamuchos zapatos si tuviera dinero (pero no lo tengo).	I would buy many shoes if I had money (but I don’t have any).
Si tuvieradinero, compraría muchos zapatos.	If I had money, I would buy many shoes.

5. Imperfect Subjunctive After Como Si (As if) The imperfect subjunctive tense is used:

after the expression como si (as if)

For example:

Spanish	English
Actúa como si estuviera cansada.	He acts as if he were tired.

Pluperfect Subjunctive Tense Formation of Regular Verbs

The Pluperfect Subjunctive Tense is used to express:

Uncertainty. For example, Dudó que hubiéramos terminado el trabajo. (She/He doubted that we had finished the work.)
Feelings. For example, Me alegré que te hubieras graduado. (I was happy that you had graduated.)

In Spanish as in English we have the pluperfect subjunctive tense. The pluperfect subjunctive is formed with two clauses:

the main clause;
the dependent clause

Generally these clauses are united with the conjunction que. For example, Esperé que hubieras practicado el piano. (I hoped that you had practiced the piano.)

The two subjects of the same sentence should be different.

The main clause should be conjugated in the indicative form: a past tense.
The dependent clause should be conjugated in the subjunctive form: pluperfect subjunctive.

The formation of the pluperfect subjunctive tense requires the past subjunctive tense of the verb haber + the past participle. The formation of the past tense of haber is:

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Haber	To Have
Yo	Hubiera	I had
Tú	Hubieras	You had
Usted/él/ella	Hubiera	You (formal)/He/She had
Nosotros	Hubiéramos	We had
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Hubieran	You (plural) had/They had

For example:

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Hablar	To Speak
Yo	Hubiera hablado	I had spoken
Tú	Hubieras hablado	You had spoken
Usted/él/ella	Hubiera hablado	You (formal)/He/She had spoken
Nosotros	Hubiéramos hablado	We had spoken
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Hubieran hablado	You (plural)/They had spoken

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Comer	To Eat
Yo	Hubiera comido	I had eaten
Tú	Hubieras comido	You had eaten
Usted/él/ella	Hubiera comido	You (formal)/He/She had eaten
Nosotros	Hubiéramos comido	We had eaten
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Hubieran comido	You (plural)/They had eaten

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Vivir	To Live
Yo	Hubiera vivido	I had lived
Tú	Hubieras vivido	You had lived
Usted/él/ella	Hubiera vivido	You (formal)/He/She had lived
Nosotros	Hubiéramos vivido	We had lived
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	Hubieran vivido	You (plural)/They had lived

Uses of the Pluperfect Subjunctive

The present perfect subjunctive form is used to express:

A past action before another action that also happened in the past using the past indicative tense in the main clause.

For example:

Spanish	English
No podíamosimaginar que todo hubieraempezado así.	We couldn’t imagine that everything would have started this way.

A hypothetical action in the past when the verb in the main clause is in the conditional or conditional perfect tense.

For example:

Spanish	English
Seríauna lástima que no hubieraestado en la fiesta.	It would be a shame that he wouldn’t have been at the party.
Habríaregresadoa casa, si tú no me hubierasdicho la verdad.	I would have returned to the house if you wouldn’t have told the truth.
Sitú no me hubierasdicho la verdad, habríaregresado a casa	If you wouldn’t have told me the truth, I would have returned to the house.

An idea that didn’t occur using the idiomatic expression como si (as if or as though)

For example:

Spanish	English
Se veíatan cansada como si hubieratrabajado todo el día	He looked as tired as if he would have worked all day.

Advanced Spanish Grammar

Conditional Tense Formation of Regular Verbs

Conditional Tense Formation of Irregular Verbs

Gerund Formation of Regular Verbs

Gerund Formation of Irregular Verbs

Expressions with a Gerund

Past Participle Formation

Past Participle Formation of Irregular Verbs

Uses of the Past Participle Passive Voice

Compound Tenses: preterit perfect, pluperfect, future and conditional perfect

Relative Pronouns

Reflexive Verbs

Accidental Verbs

Reciprocal Verbs

Special Verbs

Uses of the Pronoun “Se”

Present Subjunctive Tense Formation of Regular Verbs

Present Subjunctive Tense Formation of Irregular Verbs

Uses of the Present Subjunctive Tense

Present Perfect Subjunctive Tense Formation of Regular Verbs

Uses of the Present Perfect Subjunctive

Imperfect Subjunctive Tense Formation of Regular Verbs

Uses of the Imperfect Subjunctive

Pluperfect Subjunctive Tense Formation of Regular Verbs

Uses of the Pluperfect Subjunctive

Pronto Spanish

Compound Tenses:
preterit perfect, pluperfect, future and conditional perfect