Spanish subject pronouns: yo, tú and more
Identify common Spanish subject pronouns and understand when a subject can be left unstated.
Read and practiseAdventure journal
Spanish grammar
Explore essential Spanish grammar through clear explanations, contrasting examples and practical exercises.
Adventure journal
Spanish grammar
Choose your level
No matching lesson. Try a shorter search or another topic.
Ser in the present tense: forms and examples
Conjugate Spanish ser in the present for identity and occupation, with examples, subject forms and exercises.
Read and practiseSpanish articles: el, la, un and una
Choose definite and indefinite Spanish articles by gender and number, with everyday examples and practice.
Read and practiseSpanish adjective agreement: gender and number
Learn how Spanish adjectives agree with nouns in gender and number through clear examples and exercises.
Read and practiseEstar in the present tense: location and state
Practise present-tense forms of estar to describe where someone is and how a person or thing feels or looks.
Read and practiseSer and estar: two ways to say “to be”
Learn when to use Spanish ser and estar for identity, origin, state and location, with examples and practice.
Read and practiseSpanish negation with no
Make simple Spanish sentences negative with no, including its position before a verb and an object pronoun.
Read and practiseSpanish question words: dónde, cuándo and more
Ask about place, time, reasons and prices in Spanish with accented question words and practical examples.
Read and practiseSpanish numbers zero to ten
Learn the Spanish numbers from zero to ten and use them for quantities, times and everyday requests.
Read and practiseTener in the present: having, age and hunger
Conjugate the Spanish verb tener in the present and use it for possession, age and everyday expressions.
Read and practiseRegular Spanish -ar verbs in the present
Conjugate regular -ar verbs in the Spanish present tense with useful examples, explanations and exercises.
Read and practiseRegular -er and -ir verbs in the present
Conjugate regular Spanish -er and -ir verbs in the present and compare their endings in everyday examples.
Read and practiseExpressing likes with gustar
Say what you like in Spanish with gustar, and choose gusta or gustan for a singular or plural subject.
Read and practiseSpanish hay: there is and there are
Use hay to say what exists in a place, ask whether something is available and make simple negative statements.
Read and practiseSpanish expressions for location
Describe where things are with encima de, debajo de, cerca de, detrás de and other Spanish place expressions.
Read and practiseIr in the present: going to places
Conjugate Spanish ir in the present and describe destinations and ways of travelling with examples.
Read and practiseSpanish demonstratives: este, ese and aquel
Point to people or things in Spanish and match demonstratives to a noun’s gender and number.
Read and practiseSpanish possessives before a noun
Use mi, tu, su and nuestro before Spanish nouns, and match their forms to what is possessed.
Read and practiseDays of the week in Spanish
Learn the Spanish weekdays, use el and los for dates and routines, and practise their order.
Read and practiseSpanish ir a plus infinitive for plans
Talk about plans and intentions with ir a plus an infinitive, using examples, negative sentences and exercises.
Read and practiseSpanish reflexive and pronominal verbs
Use me, te, se and nos with everyday Spanish verbs for getting up, getting dressed and washing.
Read and practiseSpanish frequency expressions: siempre, a veces and nunca
Say how often you do something with common Spanish frequency expressions and practical examples.
Read and practiseSpanish contractions al and del
Use the Spanish contractions al and del when a or de meets the article el, with a proper-name exception.
Read and practiseConmigo and contigo: with me and with you
Use conmigo and contigo to say with me and with you in Spanish, and compare them with con él and con ella.
Read and practiseCounting from eleven to thirty
From eleven through thirty, Spanish number words help you count people and objects, with special spelling and agreement for twenty-one.
Read and practiseSpanish noun plurals after vowels and consonants
A final vowel or consonant guides the regular Spanish plural: compare endings and practise with familiar nouns.
Read and practiseTú or tu, él or el: accent marks
Distinguish Spanish stressed pronouns from the unaccented possessives and article in tú/tu, él/el and mí/mi.
Read and practiseCommon masculine and feminine noun endings
Noun endings often give clues to Spanish gender, helping you choose the matching definite article while recognizing common exceptions.
Read and practiseCuánto, cuánta, cuántos and cuántas
Ask how much or how many in Spanish and match cuánto to a following noun in gender and number.
Read and practiseOmitting subject pronouns
Spanish verb endings often identify the subject, while an explicit pronoun can add contrast or clarity in a conversation.
Read and practiseIr a and estar en: destination and location
Distinguish going to a destination with ir a from being at a location with estar en in Spanish.
Read and practiseTú and usted: choosing how to address someone
A conversation with a friend or a stranger calls for a choice of address and a matching singular verb form.
Read and practiseYes or no questions in Spanish
A simple statement can become a yes or no question with a change in intonation and written question marks.
Read and practisePossession with de
Show who owns an object or how people are related by placing de before the owner’s name in Spanish.
Read and practiseExpressing company with a noun
A companion can be named after a short Spanish preposition. Practise saying who joins an activity.
Read and practiseSpanish months and dates
January through December: name the months in Spanish and put a day and month together to give a date.
Read and practiseFirst, second and third in order
Put the first three Spanish ordinal numbers to work when describing the order of classes, floors and other things.
Read and practiseSpanish querer and poder with infinitives
Express what you want or can do with querer and poder, and learn their present-tense stem changes.
Read and practiseSpanish present progressive with estar
Describe actions in progress with estar and the gerund, including regular endings and leyendo.
Read and practiseSpanish direct object pronouns: lo, la, los and las
Replace a known direct object with lo, la, los or las and place the pronoun correctly in a Spanish sentence.
Read and practiseSpanish comparisons: más, menos and tan
Compare people and things in Spanish with más que, menos que and tan como through examples and exercises.
Read and practiseRegular -ar verbs in the Spanish preterite
Describe completed past events with regular Spanish -ar preterite forms, examples and exercises.
Read and practiseRegular -er and -ir verbs in the Spanish preterite
Use regular -er and -ir preterite endings to describe completed past events, with examples and practice.
Read and practiseIntroduction to the Spanish imperfect
Describe past habits, background and continuing situations with the Spanish imperfect and practical examples.
Read and practiseBasic Spanish connectors: y, pero and porque
Connect ideas with y, o, pero, porque and así que using practical Spanish examples.
Read and practiseExistence in the past: había and hubo
Describe what existed or happened in the past with Spanish había and hubo, and practise singular impersonal forms.
Read and practiseObject pronouns beside Spanish infinitives
A pronoun can move around a verb pair: compare the position before a conjugated verb with attachment to an infinitive.
Read and practiseSpanish a before an infinitive of purpose
Movement toward an activity uses a before the infinitive; practise saying where someone goes and what they go to do.
Read and practiseGeneral obligation with hay que
Express general necessity with hay que and an infinitive, and distinguish it from a named person’s obligation.
Read and practiseIrregular preterite: hacer, querer and venir
Completed events call for irregular preterite stems in three common Spanish verbs, with a special spelling in one form.
Read and practisePersonal obligation with tener que
Say who has to do something in Spanish with tener que, choosing the form of tener and an infinitive.
Read and practisePreterite forms of decir and traer
Irregular stems and endings make it possible to report what someone said or brought at a completed moment in the past.
Read and practiseRecent completion with acabar de
Describe a recently completed action in Spanish with acabar de and an infinitive.
Read and practisePreterite stem changes in Spanish -ir verbs
Third-person past forms such as pidió and durmieron change their stem, while other persons keep the infinitive stem.
Read and practisePersonal a before direct objects
Learn when Spanish uses personal a before a person as a direct object, with examples and contextual practice.
Read and practisePreterite y and accents with vowel stems
A message was read and objects fell: see how vowel stems change in the Spanish preterite and where accents belong.
Read and practiseFeminine nouns with el: el agua
Understand why el appears before feminine nouns with stressed initial a, and keep adjectives and plural forms feminine.
Read and practiseRegular Spanish past participles
Regular endings turn Spanish infinitives into participles for compound tenses, as in a completed action expressed with haber.
Read and practiseAccented í in Spanish participles
A written accent separates the vowels in participles such as leído, oído and traído; compare them with construido.
Read and practiseIndirect object pronouns: me, te, le and les
Use Spanish indirect object pronouns to identify who receives something, with singular and plural examples.
Read and practiseNamed recipients and indirect object pronouns
A named recipient can appear alongside an indirect object pronoun in Spanish; see how singular and plural recipients affect the choice.
Read and practisePor qué and porque: why and because
Distinguish the Spanish question form por qué from the reason connector porque, including indirect questions.
Read and practiseGustar with infinitives
Talking about activities you enjoy calls for gusta before an infinitive, even when you name more than one activity.
Read and practisePor and para: cause and purpose
Distinguish a reason expressed with por from a purpose expressed with para in everyday Spanish sentences.
Read and practisePronouns after Spanish prepositions
After a preposition, Spanish uses stressed pronouns; discover the special forms for me and you and the combined forms with con.
Read and practisePrimer and tercer before masculine nouns
Learn when primero and tercero shorten to primer and tercer before masculine singular nouns in Spanish.
Read and practiseReciprocal actions with plural pronouns
People greet, help and write to one another: Spanish plural pronouns can express actions shared between people.
Read and practiseRelative que for people and things
Link a Spanish noun to a describing clause with relative que, referring to a person or a thing without an accent.
Read and practiseReflexive and nonreflexive actions
Compare washing yourself with washing someone or something else, and see how Spanish pronouns change the meaning.
Read and practiseSpanish present perfect with haber
Build the Spanish present perfect with present-tense haber and a past participle, and notice regional variation in recent events.
Read and practiseNadie, nada and nunca with no
Use Spanish negative words before or after a verb, and learn when no is needed in ordinary negative sentences.
Read and practiseIrregular affirmative informal commands
Give a friend clear instructions with eight common irregular Spanish command forms and distinguish affirmative from negative commands.
Read and practiseEsto, eso and aquello: unnamed things
Use Spanish neuter demonstratives esto, eso and aquello to refer to an unnamed thing, situation or idea.
Read and practiseFormal prohibitions with usted
A polite warning or instruction to one person takes a negative command form, with pronouns placed before the verb.
Read and practiseSer and estar: adjectives that change meaning
Compare Spanish adjectives such as listo and aburrido with ser and estar, and interpret their meaning from context.
Read and practiseLet’s do it: nosotros commands
A shared plan can become a suggestion with the Spanish nosotros command, including negative and reflexive forms.
Read and practiseEvent location with ser and people with estar
Say where a Spanish event takes place with ser and where people or objects are located with estar.
Read and practiseTransport: choosing en or a
Buses, bicycles and walking call for different prepositions in Spanish; practise the usual phrases for ways of travelling.
Read and practisePresent tense stem change e to ie
Conjugate Spanish e-to-ie stem-changing verbs in the present, including pensar, empezar and cerrar.
Read and practiseHace and desde hace: elapsed time
Say how long a situation has continued or how long ago an event happened with Spanish hace and desde hace.
Read and practiseMaterials and contents with de
A wooden spoon or a cup of tea: connect an object to its material or contents with a short Spanish preposition.
Read and practiseGran and grande before and after nouns
Choose gran or grande in Spanish according to its position and the noun’s number, with common exceptions.
Read and practiseClock times with the Spanish preposition
One o’clock or six o’clock: express when an event happens using the right article in Spanish.
Read and practiseSi and sí: if and yes
Distinguish unaccented Spanish si for a condition or indirect question from accented sí for affirmation.
Read and practisePresent stem change o to ue
Practise the Spanish present-tense o-to-ue stem change with poder, volver and dormir across different persons.
Read and practiseStarting points with desde
A journey or a period can begin at a place or moment; mark that starting point in Spanish.
Read and practisePresent stem change e to i
Conjugate Spanish e-to-i stem-changing verbs in the present using pedir, servir and repetir in context.
Read and practiseEndpoints with hasta
A destination or closing time sets a limit. Express where or when an action reaches its endpoint in Spanish.
Read and practiseRegular simple future in Spanish
Build the Spanish simple future with regular infinitives and endings, and describe future actions in context.
Read and practiseIrregular future stems in Spanish
Learn the irregular future stems tendr-, podr- and vendr- and add regular future endings in Spanish.
Read and practiseSomeone and nobody in Spanish
An unknown person or nobody at all: refer to people and place the negative word correctly in Spanish.
Read and practiseStressed possessives: mío, tuyo and suyo
Use Spanish stressed possessives such as mío and tuya to say whom an already identified object belongs to.
Read and practiseRegular affirmative tú commands
Give simple affirmative instructions to one person you address as tú using regular Spanish command forms.
Read and practiseInteresar and molestar: agreement with what affects someone
Use Spanish interesar and molestar to describe what interests or bothers someone, with singular and plural agreement.
Read and practiseSomething and nothing in Spanish
An unknown thing or no thing at all: express both ideas and place the negative word correctly in Spanish.
Read and practiseSpanish preterite of ser and ir: the same forms
Learn the shared preterite forms fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos and fueron and use context to distinguish ser from ir.
Read and practiseDejar de plus infinitive: stopping an action in Spanish
Learn to describe stopping an activity with dejar de followed by an infinitive, using six contextual Spanish examples.
Read and practiseIr, ser and ver in the Spanish imperfect
Learn the imperfect forms of ir, ser and ver to describe past habits and background with six contextual examples.
Read and practiseOtro and otra for another
Ask for another item in Spanish and match the form to the noun, whether you need one more thing or several.
Read and practiseSpanish preterite stems tuv-, estuv- and anduv-
Learn the irregular preterite of tener, estar and andar through contextual forms such as tuve, estuvimos and anduvo.
Read and practiseSpanish gerunds leyendo, cayendo, oyendo and trayendo
Learn the -yendo gerunds of leer, caer, oír and traer in contextual present-progressive sentences.
Read and practiseSpanish preterite of dar and ver
Practise preterite forms of dar and ver, including di, vio and dimos, through six contextual sentences.
Read and practiseCada for each and every
A single word can refer to each person or every occasion: see how cada works with singular nouns and verbs.
Read and practiseSpanish preterite spelling: busqué, llegué and empecé
Practise the first-person preterite spelling changes in -car, -gar and -zar verbs with contextual Spanish examples.
Read and practiseNingún, ninguna and ninguno in Spanish
Choose ningún before a masculine singular noun, ninguna before a regular feminine noun, and ninguno when a masculine noun is omitted.
Read and practiseAlgún, alguna, alguno and algunos in Spanish
Choose the form of Spanish alguno according to the noun’s gender, number and whether the noun is stated or omitted.
Read and practiseToo much: agreement with demasiado
Excess quantity in Spanish changes form before a noun, while the form used with verbs and adjectives stays the same.
Read and practiseTan and tanto in Spanish comparisons of equality
Compare equal qualities with tan and equal quantities with forms of tanto, using como to introduce the comparison.
Read and practiseEstar a punto de: saying something is about to happen
Use estar a punto de plus an infinitive to describe an action that is imminent but has not yet begun.
Read and practiseSpanish stem-changing gerunds: durmiendo, pidiendo and sirviendo
Form and recognize common irregular -ir gerunds such as durmiendo, pidiendo and sirviendo in ongoing actions.
Read and practiseBetter and worse in Spanish
Compare quality with irregular forms for better and worse, including plural agreement and the word that introduces a comparison.
Read and practisePast habits with solía and an infinitive
Describe a repeated past habit using imperfect soler followed by an infinitive in natural contexts.
Read and practiseCommon irregular past participles with haber
Use abierto, escrito, roto and other common irregular participles after haber in the present perfect.
Read and practiseProfessions with ser: when to use an article
Describe a person's profession with ser and compare an unmodified profession with one described by an adjective.
Read and practiseMaterial and origin with ser de
A wooden table or a person from Peru: describe material and origin in Spanish with a short construction.
Read and practiseWeather with impersonal hace
From sunny afternoons to windy mornings, describe conditions in Spanish with impersonal hace and familiar weather nouns.
Read and practiseContinuing actions with seguir and a gerund
An action is still in progress: express its continuation with a conjugated verb and a Spanish gerund.
Read and practiseRegular present subjunctive endings
Wishes and requests call for a different set of endings: form the regular present subjunctive for each person.
Read and practiseTwo object pronouns: se lo and se la
Combine Spanish recipient and direct object pronouns, including the change from le or les to se before lo and la.
Read and practiseFour irregular subjunctives: ser, ir, estar and saber
Express wishes, doubts and reactions with four common irregular verbs in the present subjunctive, including their full person forms.
Read and practiseSubjunctive spelling: -car, -gar and -zar
In present subjunctive forms, a small spelling change keeps the original consonant sound before the new ending.
Read and practiseSubjunctive after emotions
Emotional reactions to another person’s actions call for a distinctive Spanish clause; explore the pattern and its infinitive contrast.
Read and practisePolite requests with podría and gustaría
Make courteous Spanish requests with the conditional forms podría and gustaría, and choose the right person.
Read and practiseRequests with the Spanish subjunctive
A request directed at someone else takes a subordinate clause: practise the Spanish subjunctive after a verb of asking.
Read and practiseSubjunctive after dudar que
Doubt about a claim calls for the Spanish subjunctive after dudar que; see how the verb agrees and practise choosing its form.
Read and practisePassive se: se vende and se venden
Describe actions without naming who performs them using Spanish passive se and singular or plural agreement.
Read and practiseSubjunctive after denying a fact
A denied claim calls for the subjunctive after que; compare it with an affirmative statement and practise choosing the verb form.
Read and practiseNecessity with the Spanish subjunctive
Say that someone needs to act using an impersonal expression followed by que and the Spanish subjunctive.
Read and practiseSubjunctive for unidentified things
A search for an unidentified person or thing calls for a different mood from a statement about a known example.
Read and practiseImpersonal se: se vive and se trabaja
Use Spanish impersonal se to describe what people do in general without identifying a subject or actor.
Read and practiseBefore another event in Spanish
An earlier action can be placed before another event with a time clause and the Spanish subjunctive.
Read and practiseWithout another event happening
An action can take place without a second event: Spanish uses a subordinate clause to express that absence.
Read and practiseImperfect and preterite in a past story
Combine the Spanish imperfect for a past background with the preterite for an event seen as complete in that setting.
Read and practiseUntil a pending or completed endpoint
An endpoint still to come takes a different mood from an event already completed in a Spanish time clause.
Read and practiseAs soon as: future and routine
A future arrival and a daily habit call for different moods after the Spanish expression for as soon as.
Read and practiseRegular Spanish conditional for hypothetical outcomes
Form the regular Spanish conditional and discuss hypothetical outcomes using complete infinitives and shared endings.
Read and practiseAfter: pending and completed events
A pending event and a completed one take different moods in Spanish clauses meaning after.
Read and practiseWishes with the same subject
A wish and its action share a subject: Spanish commonly joins the desire verb directly to an infinitive.
Read and practiseWhat and the thing that
An unnamed thing or fact can be the subject or object of a Spanish relative clause meaning what or the thing that.
Read and practiseRelative quien and quienes after a preposition
Use Spanish relative quien and quienes after a preposition to refer back to one or more people.
Read and practisePossession with the relative cuyo
A possessive relative connects an owner to a noun and changes form to agree with the thing possessed.
Read and practiseEl que after prepositions
Connect a noun to a description after a preposition, choosing a relative form that agrees in gender and number.
Read and practisePresent subjunctive after querer que
Express wishes about another person in Spanish with querer que and regular present subjunctive forms.
Read and practiseReferring to a whole statement with lo cual
A delayed train, a changed plan or a surprise can all be followed by a comment on the entire event using lo cual.
Read and practiseAbstract ideas with the neuter article
An adjective can name an abstract quality or useful aspect when it follows the Spanish neuter article.
Read and practisePresent subjunctive: tenga, haga and salga
Form Spanish present subjunctive forms of tener, hacer and salir after expressions of wishes and needs.
Read and practiseCause with an infinitive
A missed train can have a cause: connect an outcome to an action with the Spanish causal infinitive.
Read and practiseTime with the infinitive after al
An arrival or a discovery can mark the moment of another event: express this link in Spanish with an infinitive.
Read and practiseBefore an action with the same subject
A quick check can precede a departure: connect two actions by the same person in Spanish.
Read and practiseRegular negative tú commands
Tell one person not to do something in Spanish using no and regular present subjunctive tú forms.
Read and practiseAfter an action with the same subject
A glass of water can follow a swim: connect two actions by the same person in Spanish.
Read and practiseDoing something again in Spanish
A second attempt, a repeated call or another visit can be expressed with a short verb construction.
Read and practiseObject pronouns with affirmative and negative commands
Place Spanish direct-object pronouns with affirmative and negative tú commands and preserve written stress.
Read and practiseHow long without an action in the past
Describe how long an action had not happened at a particular point in the past, using a duration and an infinitive.
Read and practiseConditional for probability in the past
A late arrival or an unanswered call can prompt a conjecture about what was happening at a particular time in the past.
Read and practiseAccidental events with se me, se te and se nos
Describe unintended events in Spanish with se plus an affected-person pronoun and a verb agreeing with the thing involved.
Read and practisePresent probability with the future
A light is on and someone may be inside: Spanish can use the future tense to guess what is happening now.
Read and practiseFinding out and meeting in the preterite
A piece of news or a first encounter can change how Spanish past-tense verbs are understood in context.
Read and practiseRegular Spanish commands for ustedes
Learn affirmative and negative commands for a group addressed as ustedes, using regular -ar, -er and -ir verbs.
Read and practiseThe imperfect for polite requests
A past tense can soften a request made now: explore how Spanish speakers ask for help or express a wish politely.
Read and practisePast progressive: estar and a gerund
A snapshot of an action in progress in the past: combine the imperfect of estar with a Spanish gerund.
Read and practiseDonde and dónde: relative places and questions
Distinguish unaccented relative donde referring to a place from accented dónde in direct and indirect questions.
Read and practiseAn interruption in the past progressive
An ongoing action sets the scene when a completed event interrupts it; compare the two past forms in everyday situations.
Read and practiseThe Spanish passive with an agent
A letter can become the subject of a passive sentence; learn how the participle agrees and when to name its agent.
Read and practiseIrregular stems in the Spanish conditional
Learn conditional forms such as tendría, haría and vendría for hypothetical situations, using stems shared with the future.
Read and practiseCommands to a group with vosotros
In Spain, affirmative and negative group commands have different endings and place object pronouns in different positions.
Read and practiseReported speech with a present reporting verb
When someone reports a statement with a present reporting verb, adjust the person and possessive to match the speaker and context.
Read and practiseMientras and the imperfect: simultaneous past actions
Use mientras with imperfect forms to describe two actions unfolding at the same time in the past.
Read and practiseSpanish pluperfect: había plus past participle
Use the pluperfect to describe an action completed before a past reference point, with forms such as había salido.
Read and practiseCreo que and no creo que: indicative and subjunctive
Compare affirmative creo que with negative no creo que and practise choosing indicative or subjunctive in these Spanish statements.
Read and practiseSpanish subjunctive after es importante que
Use present subjunctive after es importante que, es necesario que and es mejor que to express an assessment of an action.
Read and practiseAffirmative vos commands in Rioplatense Spanish
Recognize common affirmative vos commands such as hablá, comé and escribí, and compare them with familiar tú forms.
Read and practiseStem changes in Spanish present subjunctive: pensar and poder
Practise e-to-ie and o-to-ue stem changes in selected -ar and -er subjunctive forms, including pienses and puedas.
Read and practiseReflexive pronouns with Spanish infinitives and gerunds
Place reflexive pronouns before a conjugated verb or attach them to an infinitive or gerund in common Spanish constructions.
Read and practiseLlevar plus duration and gerund in Spanish
Use llevar plus a duration and a gerund to say how long an activity has continued up to the present.
Read and practiseEstar plus participle and the present perfect in Spanish
Distinguish a resulting state with estar and an agreeing participle from an action expressed with haber and an invariable participle.
Read and practiseRegular usted commands in Spanish
Form affirmative and negative usted commands for regular verbs and use them in polite requests and instructions.
Read and practiseSi plus present and future: likely conditions in Spanish
Build a possible future condition with si plus present and a result in the simple future, matching each verb to its subject.
Read and practiseCuando with subjunctive for future events and indicative for habits
Contrast subjunctive after cuando for an unrealized future event with indicative for a habitual event.
Read and practiseLlevar plus time and sin: how long without doing something
Use llevar plus a duration, sin and an infinitive to say how long an action has not happened up to now.
Read and practiseOjalá with the present subjunctive: expressing a wish
Express a wish about an uncertain present or future situation with ojalá and the present subjunctive.
Read and practiseExpressing purpose with para que and the subjunctive
Use para que with the subjunctive to explain the intended purpose of someone else's action.
Read and practisePor si with present indicative for precautions
Explain a precaution with por si and a present indicative verb for a possible future situation.
Read and practiseSpanish -ísimo: very intense adjectives and spelling
Form common intensified adjectives with -ísimo and notice the spelling changes in riquísimo, larguísimo and felicísima.
Read and practiseForming the Spanish imperfect subjunctive
Past wishes and hypothetical situations call for forms built from the third-person plural preterite stem.
Read and practisePluperfect subjunctive with hubiera
Earlier unreal events and past reactions call for the Spanish pluperfect subjunctive: form it with an auxiliary and a participle.
Read and practiseThe conditional perfect in Spanish
A missed call, an unrealised journey or a different choice can be expressed with the conditional perfect.
Read and practiseWishing the present were different with ojalá
Express wishes that run against the present situation, and choose between the two imperfect subjunctive endings in Spanish.
Read and practisePast regrets with ojalá
A past event cannot be changed, but Spanish lets you express a wish that it had happened differently.
Read and practiseCompleted actions with the present perfect subjunctive
A present reaction, doubt or possibility can refer to an earlier completed action using the Spanish present perfect subjunctive.
Read and practisePast wishes and requests in Spanish
A past wish, request or reaction can introduce an imperfect subjunctive clause with a different subject.
Read and practisePast reactions to earlier actions
A past reaction can refer to an earlier action with the pluperfect subjunctive; compare its two forms and practise the sequence.
Read and practiseTense shifts in Spanish reported speech
A past reporting verb can shift present, future and perfect forms as a speaker retells someone’s words from an earlier viewpoint.
Read and practiseReporting questions indirectly
A reported question can preserve a question word or introduce a yes-or-no question with si, while its tense follows the context.
Read and practiseReporting commands and requests
A past request or instruction can be reported with a subordinate clause; practise choosing the appropriate subjunctive form.
Read and practiseA menos que and the subjunctive
Plans often have an exception: express what could prevent an action with a Spanish conjunction and the subjunctive.
Read and practiseConditions with con tal de que
Set a condition for an outcome in Spanish and choose the subjunctive when that condition has yet to be fulfilled.
Read and practiseConditions with siempre que
A permission, plan or agreement can depend on a proviso; compare that meaning with a repeated habit in Spanish.
Read and practiseEn caso de que and the subjunctive
A contingency may never happen, but Spanish can describe the precautions taken for it with a subjunctive clause.
Read and practisePurpose in the past with para que
A past action can have a purpose expressed with para que and the imperfect subjunctive; explore both verb endings in context.
Read and practiseUnreal comparisons with como si
A person may act as if something were true or had already happened: express that comparison with past subjunctive forms.
Read and practiseResult and purpose with de modo que
An actual consequence or an intended outcome changes the mood after this Spanish connector.
Read and practiseDrawing a consequence in Spanish
A prior fact leads to a consequence expressed with a distinctive Spanish connector and the subjunctive.
Read and practiseRejecting one reason for another
A contrast between a rejected explanation and the actual cause makes your reason precise in Spanish.
Read and practiseWhoever the person may be
An unrestricted reference to a person takes a Spanish relative expression followed by the subjunctive.
Read and practiseHypothetical si clauses: imperfect subjunctive and conditional
Express hypothetical present or future situations with si plus imperfect subjunctive and a conditional result.
Read and practiseUnrestricted choice with the Spanish concessive relative
Whatever the option, a concessive relative and the subjunctive let you express an unrestricted choice.
Read and practiseSpanish future perfect: an action completed before a future point
Form the future perfect with future haber and a participle to describe completion before a specified future time or event.
Read and practiseGuessing what has already happened
A closed shop or an unanswered message can invite a tentative explanation about an event that has already happened.
Read and practiseSpanish unreal past conditions with si hubiera and habría
Build a hypothetical past condition with si plus the past perfect subjunctive and an imagined result with the conditional perfect.
Read and practiseGuessing what had happened
A missing coat or a wet street can invite a Spanish guess about what had happened before a moment in the past.
Read and practiseAunque with indicative and subjunctive
Compare a stated fact after aunque with a hypothetical concession expressed by the subjunctive.
Read and practiseReject an explanation with no es que
When an assumed reason misses the point, Spanish can reject it with the subjunctive and offer a different explanation.
Read and practise